Undercover Adventure
by IceCreamAndPizza
Summary: What do  people say about us when we aren't there? Misty wants to know and she's about to find out. With a new secret identity, Misty joins Ash's journey seeking out the truth and maybe a little more, too. But first, she has to get Pikachu off her trail.
1. Putting the Plan into Action

I stared into the mirror, looking at my reflection that seemed like a stranger to me. I looked almost unrecognizable, my changes proving to be effective. My now light brown hair was neatly tied into a side braid, while my dark brown contacts effectively covered my once green eyes. The outfit I wore of light blue shorts and a ruffled, white top replaced my once yellow top and red suspender-jean short combo. I didn't think it would be possible for me to change my physical appearance, but once again, I had managed to surprise myself. Now all I needed was a new name and to tweak my personality enough to go unrecognized. This was just the first step in my crazy plan.

I had first come up with this plan when my sisters had given me the okay to start traveling again if I wanted. Jumping at the chance to get back into the swing of traveling on the road, I had raced to the phone to call Ash and Brock and tell them the good news, when my sister's thoughts initiated my extravagant plan.

"_Like, slow down baby sis. I know you love this kid and everything, but I, like, just said you could go," Daisy had teased. _

"_I…" _

"_Don't deny it, Misty. You talk about him all the time. You even freaked out when you saw him on the T.V. It's rather obvious. I would just tell him you love him while your calling him now. You know? Kill two birds with one stone?" _

"_He probably doesn't even like me back. He's probably forgotten about me. It's been three years you know? I bet he never even talks about me." _

"_Like, how do you even know that?" Daisy asked._

And that's when I started thinking. Did Ash ever talk about me to his new traveling companions? Did he miss me like I missed him? What if I started traveling with him, but he wouldn't know it was me? With Daisy's help, I concocted the most brilliant plan to date. I would join Ash and Brock on their journey without them ever knowing it was me. I could find out all the things they talked about when I was gone. What they really thought about me, but could never say to my face. This would be fun. And within days, I had arrived in the city of Slateport where I would await the arrival of Ash and Brock in the Pokemon center.

Grabbing my newly acquired backpack, I went to the lobby to collect my Pokemon from Nurse Joy. With a simple thank you, I received my Pokemon and sat down in a chair, pretending to read a magazine while I waited for Brock and Ash to arrive. As I flipped through the pages of the magazine, I heard the ding of the bell as new people waked in, followed by some all to familiar voices.

"Oh, Nurse Joy! Please be my love," Brock begged, proving to me what nothing about him had changed.

"Uh," Nurse Joy replied, unsure of what to say. I was about to stand up and pull him away when I remembered that if I did do that, I would be giving myself away. I had a feeling this was going to be much harder than I thought.

"Pikachu," I heard Ash sigh. The next thing I knew, Pikachu had shocked Brock out of his daze. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry. Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"Just need to heal my Pokemon up."

After he handed over his Pokemon, Ash started to walk over to the couch where he could wait until his Pokemon were ready. As he walked by me, though, horror spread across my face as I saw Pikachu leap from Ash's shoulders onto my lap. Shoot! I had completely forgotten that I couldn't fool Pikachu. I may have changed my identity, but my scent would never change. So much for my amazing plan. Apparently it was going to end even before it began.

"Pika!" Pikachu cooed as he sat on my shoulder rubbing against my check.

"Hey, cutie," I replied as I scratched the spot behind his ears that he loved the most.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled at his Pokemon. "I'm so sorry miss. He's usually not like this. I don't know what's gotten into him." I had to laugh a little as Ash's face turned red in embarrassment from Pikachu's actions. He frantically tried to call Pikachu back, but was left empty handed.

"Don't worry about it. He's adorable. He's welcome to sit here as long as he wants," I tried to assure Ash. I truly had always enjoyed Pikachu's company.

"He really likes you, you know? I can tell. He doesn't usually treat strangers like this. It must be because you found his favorite spot to be petted," Ash concluded.

"Ha ha. Maybe that's it." I laughed. Turning back to Pikachu, I continued to scratch and pet his little ears.

"So what's the name of your lucky trainer?" I asked Pikachu.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I wouldn't say he's very lucky, though," Ash explained, scratching the back of his head like he always did when he was nervous.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled in protest leaving my shoulder to go back to comfort Ash.

"Hmm. I think Pikachu feels otherwise," I pointed out to him.

"I guess so," he sighed, patting the little Pokemon on the head. I don't know why, but looking at the two of them made me remember how much I had missed them. "So what's your name? Are you a trainer, too?"

"I'm Madeline, but you can call me Maddie. And yes, I am a trainer."

"Really? Awesome. Want to battle?" I should have known that would be his first question.

"No thanks. I just got my Pokemon healed up, so I think I should let them rest."

"Oh. Okay. I guess you're right." He really looked disappointed.

We both sat in silence waiting for the other person to say something. Pikachu continued to sit on Ash's shoulder because he just wanted to be petted. Thankfully, Ash wasn't so keen on noticing the sudden liking Pikachu had taken towards me was because he already knew me. As long as I could keep Ash convinced I just knew how to befriend Pokemon, I was good. In addition, I was somewhat lucky that Togepi wasn't around because he would have gone nuts when he saw Pikachu and Ash. Aside from me, those two were his most favorite person and Pokemon in the whole world.

"Hey, Ash, did you get the key?" I heard Brock ask him. He must have walked over when I wasn't looking.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he replied, breaking away from the daze he was in. As Ash went to give Brock the key, though, Brock took the conversation into a whole different direction.

"Your beauty! It's unseen. Never in my life have I seen such beauty and such a personality. You no longer have to search, for I'm Brock, your true love. And it would make me the happiest person alive if you were to accept my request of dinner with me." It was one thing to stand there and watch Brock hit on girls, but it was another thing to be the one he was hitting on. Never in my life did I ever think that I would have the unfortunate experience of being hit on by Brock. At the same time, though, this proved that my plan was indeed working.

"Brock, leave her alone," I heard Ash plead. He must have seen the horror on my face because the next thing I knew, Pikachu had shocked Brock and he was now sprawled out on the floor. "I'm really sorry about that. He.. he can't control himself sometimes."

"It's okay. At least someone thinks I'm pretty," I said.

"Well, you could look at it that way, I guess."

We both sat there and watched as Brock slowly began to get up from the floor. Recovering from his love daze, he sat down next to Ash and carried on as if nothing had happened before. "So, who's your new friend, Ash?"

"This is Maddie," he explained.

"Well hello there, Maddie. I'm the one and only Brock. I'm the former Pewter City gym leader and an aspiring Pokemon breeder." Wow. Quite the introduction I might say. "And how about yourself? What's your story? New trainer? New region?"

"I'm the one and only Maddie from Cerulean City. I've been at this Pokemon training thing for a while now. I decided to check out Hoenn because I've never been here before. I've traveled all over Kanto and Johto, though."

"Cerulean City?" Ash asked his eyes lighting up.

"Yep." I could see Brock smirking at Ash as he to saw the boy's eyes light up in surprise.

"I've been there before," he added casually.

"Ha ha. I'm sure. Many people have. It's a really great city."

"Yeah it is.. " He trailed off.

"Our friend Misty is the gym leader there," Brock explained.

"You know Misty?" I asked, pretending to be a big fan.

"Yep," they both answered. "She traveled all over Kanto and Johto with us. She had to leave before we came here, though."

"I love Misty. She's one of the nicest gym leaders I've ever met." At this Brock and Ash started to laugh hysterically. I just stared at them not seeing what exactly was so funny. "What's so funny, huh?"

"Misty? Nice?" Ash asked, trying to suppress his laughter. "Yeah right. She's never nice. You must have the wrong Misty then."

"What do you mean I have the wrong Misty?" I asked, my anger rising. "I don't know what you two are on, but she is really nice."

"Holy cow. She has a temper as short as Misty's," Brock whispered to Ash.

"Is everyone in Cerulean this temperamental?" Ash whispered back.

"Maybe I should call Misty and tell her what her two best friends really think of her?" I threatened them. If they took me up on the threat, I had no idea how I would call myself, but I was counting on them saying no.

At my threat, they both stopped laughing immediately. Waving their hands frantically, they begged me not to call Misty. Apparently my notorious temper had struck fear into them. Thankfully, though, I wouldn't have to try and pull off calling myself. That would have been almost impossible. I think Pikachu thought I was crazy because the whole time I was pretending to be a big fan of Misty, he kept looking at me with these confused looks. When Brock and Ash started laughing, he just shook his head as if to comment on their failure to notice me.

"Well," Brock sighed, standing up, "I think it's about time to grab something to eat. I'm starving. You're welcome to join us if you would like."

"I would love to. Thank you very much," I said, standing up to follow them.


	2. Breaking the Ice

We left the Pokemon center to enter the city and go find a restaurant because nobody wanted to eat the food in the center's cafeteria. Pikachu refused to leave me alone as he jumped back onto my shoulder, hitching a ride. In the city we were able to find a nice little café that served all kinds of foods from salads and sandwiches to burgers and hotdogs. Ash, of course, ordered a hamburger while Brock and I ordered sandwiches. We chatted a little bit about their adventures in Hoenn while we waited for our food. Thankfully, they hadn't asked me much about my travels, but I had a story ready when they did. When our food arrived, I started to eat my sandwich, but was stopped short by the sight in front of me.

Ash, who had ordered three hamburgers, was gulfing them down at an unseen speed. Although this was something I had seen all the time, I acted like I was appalled, using some tricks from the acting classes my sisters had forced me to take. I think it worked, too because Brock took it upon himself to quickly apologize for Ash's behavior. "Ash, slow down. Where are your manners? I'm sorry. He enjoys eating…"

"He he. Slow down, Ashy boy. The-" Whoops.  
>"What did you just call me?" Ash asked, his hamburger frozen in mid air for the time being.<p>

"Nothing," I answered quickly.

"No. You called me Ashy boy."

"Maybe?"

"That name.." he trailed off. "She…always called me that to make me mad."

"She?"

"Nobody," he stated. He set his burger back down and got up without a word. "I'm going to take a walk. I'll.. I'll be right back." And with that he left the table and headed towards the exit, Pikachu in tow.

I had a feeling I knew exactly who he was talking about, but I had to pretend for the time being that I didn't. "Will he come back?" I asked Brock, all part of my act.

"Yeah. He does this sometimes. Don't worry, though, he will be back shortly." Although he told me this, I could see some worry hidden on his face.

"Whom was he talking about?" I asked.

"You mean the girl?" Brock asked, turning back to me.

"Yeah."

"It's our friend Misty. She used to call Ash that a lot when she was around. It drove him crazy because his rival would call him that. Misty always knew how to push his buttons. Then again, Ash knew how to tick Misty off just as much. They were really close friends even if they appeared to hate each other."

"Hate each other?"

"Yeah. They argued all the time. About everything from what food they wanted to have for lunch, to whose fault it was that we had gotten lost. It seemed to never end between those two. Granted, I have siblings who argue all the time, but nobody argued like those two. I had to stalk up on Motrin each time we went to a new town." He laughed a little, thinking of the memories and the money he had to spend on medicine.

"It was that bad?" I asked.

"Yeah, but despite the arguing they both cared a lot about each other. They were always there for each other. I would always tease them about liking each other. They would get so mad, but it was true and everyone could see it but those two. The day Misty had to leave, I thought one of them would say something, but neither did."

"Oh." I had thought about saying something to Ash before I left that day, but the fear of rejection stopped me in my tracks.

"Yeah. Ever since she left, he's never been the same. He gets silent whenever she comes up and randomly decides to take walks. Whenever I try to confront him about it, he denies it happening, claiming that nothing is wrong."

"What do you think is wrong?" Obviously Brock was concerned about Ash's behavior.

"I think he misses her more than he thought he would. It's a lot different without her and I think Ash is having difficulties adjusting to that change. It only convinces me more that he cares for her more than just friendship."

"If he misses her, why doesn't he call her?" I asked. He never called me once since I had left. It always had bothered me that he promised to keep in touch, yet never did. I always tried calling him, but I would always miss him or he would tell Nurse Joy he was busy and to have me call back. Even the letters I sent were never replied to. I just didn't get it.

"I don't know. I've told him to call her. She's even called many times herself, too. Even sent letters. He just ignores the calls or sticks the letters in his backpack unread. It doesn't really matter anymore, though, because she gave up almost a year ago. I don't blame her, either. Like I said, though, he doesn't seem to be dealing well with the change."

"Yeah. I guess so."

Brock and I finished up our meals as we waited for Ash to return from his walk. It was a time like this when I wished that I could tell them both the truth and end the sadness Ash was feeling, but if I wanted to know the truth, I couldn't blow my cover just yet. I knew there would be a day when I would have to reveal myself to them or at least leave and never come back as Maddie, but for now things would have to go along like this.

While in the midst of finishing my sandwich, I heard footsteps come closer to the table. I looked up just in time to see Ash sit back down and finish up his meal. He didn't say anything when he came back about where he was or if he was feeling any better, but neither Brock nor I decided to push it. After we finished up and paid the bill, we decided to head back to the Pokemon center so Brock and Ash could get their Pokemon back.


	3. Switchin' it Up

When we reached the center I waited on the couch while Ash and Brock collected their Pokemon. When they returned, they joined me on the opposite couch. Even though I had seen him before, this was the first time I was able to really take a look at Ash. He had grown taller and the traveling and training had definitely affected his body in his favor. He looked much stronger and tanner, his once pale skin a light shade of brown. He still wore the outfit I had always known him to wear, accustomed with his trademark Pokemon league hat. For 17 going on 18, he looked pretty good.

"So what would you like to do, Ash?" Brock asked him.

"Huh? Oh, I don't care. Anything is fine. " You could tell he wasn't really there.

"Well since we are near the ocean, maybe we should go fishing?" Brock suggested. "We could catch some neat water Pokemon."

"Sure. Sounds good."

"Would you like to join us, Maddie?" Brock asked me.

"Sure! I love fishing."

Deciding that's what we would do, we headed back into the city and to a place where you could rent fishing poles. In addition, the owners allowed each group to take a little fishing boat so that you could go past the shore. It was decided that do to his very responsible nature, Brock would drive the boat.

With fishing poles in hand, we got into the boat and set off into the ocean. We drove around for about 10 minutes until we found a spot we thought might be good. With our spot picked out, I pulled out my tackle box, grabbing a lure. After attaching my custom made lure-not Mini Misty, of course. I knew better than that-I took my pole and cast it into the ocean. Safely in the ocean, I sat back and waited for a bite.

By the time my line was in the water, Ash was just working on getting his lure. I watched as he dove around in his backpack until he found what he was looking for. Before my eyes, he pulled out the exact Mini Misty lure I had given him months before I left. I smiled at the site before me, seeing as he really still cared about me.

"That's a really cool lure you have there," I told him, pointing to the lure in his hand. "Where did you get it?"

"A friend," was all he said.

"Misty?" I asked.

"Yeah.. how did you know?" he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Well, it kind of looks like her and you were friends with her. Just simple logic." Honestly, he could be rather dense sometimes.

"Oh, haha. Yeah, I guess it's a little obvious, huh?" he asked. I simply nodded at his statement.

"Could I borrow it when you're done? That is if it seems to work."  
>"No," He quickly answered, as if it was a natural reaction.<p>

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's… it's special to me." He seemed unsure of how to answer the question at hand. Not pushing the question further, I turned back to my fishing and carried on.

It felt as if hours had gone by while we waited for someone to get a bite. Normally I had the patience to sit there, but my patience was quickly decreasing due to my lack of a bite. Finally, just before I think everyone was about to call it quits, I heard Ash yell that he had gotten a bite.

With the pole being held firmly between his hands, Ash pulled as hard as he could, cranking the wheel to try and reel in the Pokemon. "I think it's a big one!" He yelled, continue to pull with all his might. Whatever Pokemon this was, it was putting up a good fight. Suddenly, though, as Ash tugged with all his might one more time, I felt my line tighten up. I pulled back, trying to reel in my own catch, bracing myself against the boat, determined to catch whatever was at the end of my line. Even though I was putting all my strength into it, the Pokemon was much stronger than I was, and before I knew it I was falling forward, crashing into the ocean below.

I quickly begin swimming up to reach the surface, giving up on the lost cause of catching whatever Pokemon had been on the end of my line. Midway through my ascent, though, I felt something tug at my shoe. Instead of going back up, I was being pulled down and up by my fishing pole. I tried to swim against the tugging, but it was no use. Whatever was pulling me was much stronger. As my fishing poll pulled me closer to the surface, I felt one last final tug before I broke through the surface and flew through the air, landing in the boat I had previously been pulled from.

Dusting myself off, I slowly stood up, surveying the scene before me. Both Brock and Ash were staring at me, probably shocked by what had just happened. "Did you catch it?" I asked Ash, who was standing there, mouth agape and fishing pole limp in his hand.

"Uh.. yeah. Kind of," he replied, hesitation in his voice.

"Well where is it?" I asked him, looking around for a big Pokemon.

"Uh…"

"Well?"

"….." He continued to say nothing.

"Speak!" I demanded.

"Maddie," he began.

"Yes?"

"I caught you."

"Huh?"

"Our lines.. they got tangled and yeah.."

"So there's no Pokemon?"

"No," he confirmed.

"You caught me instead?" I asked again for clarification.

"Uh huh."

"Super. Just great," I grumbled. Brock on the other hand, couldn't contain the laughter that was brewing inside of him. While Ash and I stared each other down, Brock broke out in laughter, quickly followed by Pikachu who was literally rolling all over the boat in pure laughter. Although he didn't know who I was and how he had met me in the first place, I was sure that based on the look on our faces, we were both thinking the same thing. What a change of events this was.

As if on instinct, I began to look around in panic. "What are you looking for?" Ash asked me.

"Spearow," I told him.

"Spearow?" he asked rather confused as to why I would be looking for Spearow.

"Yeah. They might attack us." What had just happened was to close to what had happened before, and if I knew anything about the previous events, a flock of angry spearow should be arriving any second.

Ash just looked at me, shaking his head, baffled by the scene in front of him. He probably thought I was crazy, but oh well. With that catastrophic event behind us, we resumed our fishing on opposite ends of the boat, hoping to prevent our lines from getting tangled. We didn't stay out that much longer, and sadly returned empty handed. (Well sort of). I was severely disappointed by my lack of Pokemon caught. Usually I was able to catch at least one or two. Maybe it just wasn't the right conditions. When we returned to the center, it was pretty much time for us to call it a night, so we said our goodbyes and parted ways to our respective rooms until the morning.


	4. Don't Let Your Guard Down

Despite my efforts to sleep, it just wasn't going to happen. Something was bothering me, but I didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the fear my plan would fall apart and Ash would hate me forever because I tricked him. Or maybe it was just the fear of knowing everything they would never say to me. It was a whole new ballgame when you knew how people really felt about you. Learning from previous experiences that sometimes walking around helped calm me down, I hopped out of bed and headed to the lobby.

It was pitch black with only the humming of the vending machine covering any silence. I sat myself down on the couch and flipped through a magazine, trying to distract myself from my thoughts. They were interrupted, though, when I heard footsteps coming from the hallway. I looked up just in time to see none other than Ash walk into the lobby, sleep obviously a problem for him, too.

"Hey, Maddie," he greeted me. "What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"I can't sleep," I told him.

"Neither can I," he sighed, collapsing on the couch across from me. "I'm so sick of waking up in the middle of the night."

"Does this happen often?"

"Yeah. Almost every night for the last couple weeks. I have no idea why, though. I wish I knew. I'm so tried in the mornings."

"Wow. That really stinks." I didn't really know what else to say.

"Yeah. It does." He closed his eyes for a second, taking it all in, whatever that was. "So you know Misty, huh?"

"Yeah I do." I know her better than you think, Ash, I added in my head.

"How do you know her?" he asked. I was ready for this question.

"I used to volunteer at the gym when I took time off from traveling. I helped clean the pool and take care of the Pokemon." He just nodded, not adding anything to the motion. "I just started traveling again about two months ago."

"That's really cool. I'm sure she really appreciated it. She always talked about how she felt swamped sometimes."

"Yeah, things can get pretty busy there. Thankfully, though, we are pretty organized so things get done. We have had fewer battles recently, though, because she's become difficult to beat. Rookie trainers just skip her gym and only come back when they have almost all their badges."

"Wow. I didn't think she was that good. I guess I underestimated her." Ha. Take that, Ash. "I'm glad she's improved, though. She never had very many opportunities to battle as much as I did.

"Yeah, I bet." I really never got the opportunity to battle much while on Ash's journey. Since it was mainly his, he was the one who challenged trainers and fought the gym leaders. I got a chance every now and then in tournaments and stuff, but compared to him, I barely battled. "So what was it like traveling with Misty?"

"Well, you should know. You worked for her."

"Yeah, but traveling with someone can be a lot different than working with them. Plus, she didn't really talk about her travels before taking over the gym," I lied.

"She didn't?" he asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"No. I tried asking her a few times, but every time I did she would mention one or two things and then change the subject. I never figured out why she never talked about her travels. The way she avoided talking about them got me thinking that it almost mad her sad to think about her travels."

"Well, that's Misty for you," Ash commented. "She can be very closed off. It always took a lot of effort for me to get her to talk about things when they were bothering her. I know she wants to come across as independent and able to take care of herself, but sometimes I wish she would've just let me help her. I'm not her sisters. I'm not going to laugh or make fun of her when she needs someone to talk to. I always tried, and sometimes I succeeded, but most of the time she would get mad and start yelling at me. Then we would get into a fight, any chances of me helping her gone."

"Have you ever tried telling her that?" I asked even though I knew the answer to that question before he answered.

"Yeah I did. Of course it didn't make a difference, though."

"What happened?" I asked. I had remembered that day even after three years. It was then that I really felt I had a best friend who really cared for me.

"Well it started out like any other day. I was working on training for my next match in the Silver conference. While I was training, Misty came out and sat down on the grass to watch. Normally she would make comments about my technique and yell at me when she felt I was doing something dumb, or if she felt she needed to give me some pointers. On this day, however, ten minutes had gone by before I realized I had heard nothing from Misty. I had a feeling it wasn't because I was doing really well, so I paused my training and asked her what was wrong. She assured me that she was okay, but I knew better. I called her a liar telling her that she needed to stop lying to me and just tell me what was bothering her. She got mad and started yelling at me telling me to stay out of her business. After that we got into a big fight and she kept yelling about how I never believed her and drove her crazy. I tried to stay calm, but she just kept yelling and yelling until finally I lost it. I yelled at her that couldn't she see I was just trying to help her? That silenced her, something that never happened, until she told me she didn't want my help."

I never knew that what I had said bothered him so much. I had known deep down that he really did want to help, but my pride had gotten the better of me. If I admitted that I needed his help, or let him help me, then I would be letting myself down. It would no longer show that I was independent, an image I had worked so hard to construct. They always say there are two sides to each story, and this one of those times where this was definitely true. He had a different outtake on his feelings about the incident while I hadn't realized the effect my words had on him. Like I said, I knew he cared, but at the time, letting him help me was the last thing I wanted to do.

"She left two weeks after that," he added.

"Huh?"

"She left. Two weeks after that fight. She had to go back to take over the gym," he repeated.

"Oh." I didn't know what to say after that because if I said anything more about my leaving, he might figure out whom I really was. Then I remembered that he had never answered my questions from before. "You never answered my question from before."

"What question?" he asked, obviously not remembering.

"What was it like to travel with Misty," I reminded him.

"Oh. That. Um… it was fine."

"Fine? That's it?" I asked, pushing for a better description.

"Yeah."

"No funny stories, good memories, no nothing?"

"No. Not really." I knew that was a big lie. There were plenty of all those categories. We had been through so much together.

"You're just like her, you know?" I told him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, eying me.

"She never talked about her travels and you won't talk about traveling with her. You both keep way too much inside. Look, if talking about here makes you sad or angry, then just tell me. Don't lie to me about not having any stories to tell." I wanted to yell at him, but I knew better to let my temper slip.

"Talking about her does not make me sad or angry, okay? I just don't want to talk about it."

"Care to share why?" I asked. Clearly he sucked at lying.

"No. I'm going to go to bed. I suggest you do the same."

"Fine," I grumbled.

"Fine. Goodnight," he replied as he walked back to his room.

It appeared that no matter who I was, our old habit of arguing would not go away without a fight of its own. Granted, this fight didn't escalate quickly like our other had, but I had a feeling this wouldn't be our last fight. I could try to change my personality all I wanted, but there was always a bit of the old me that would never leave. Unfortunately, though, my temper had decided to stick around. And my temper was one of my trademarks that I had to learn to quickly hide from Ash and Brock.


	5. Adjusting is Hard to Do

Despite having gone back to bed, I still wasn't able to get much sleep last night. I hoped that today would be different. As I packed up my stuff, I started thinking of ways I could get Ash and Brock to let me travel with them. There was always the easy way of just asking, but I think that might seem a little bit strange. Although, Tracy had done the exact thing and Ash tended to have a problem saying no to people. Just in case he had changed I needed to come up with a better idea.

I didn't have time to walk around the city for breakfast, so I headed to the cafeteria to grab a bite. When I reached the cafeteria, I quickly spotted an empty table. Grabbing my food, I claimed the table and sat down to begin eating. As I sat down, though, I began to realize a little flaw in my plan. I hadn't seen Ash and Brock when I walked in and they hadn't walked in themselves yet. What if I had missed them? What if they had left already? If that were the case, then that would be one major roadblock in my plan.

Thankfully, I didn't have to worry because I spotted Ash and Brock walking into the cafeteria. They spotted me, too and begin walking towards my table. Pikachu beat them, though, leaping into my lap once again. I really had to figure out how I was going to get him to lay low.

"Good morning, Maddie," Brock greeted me. "Mind if we join you?"

"Nope."

"Good. I don't think Pikachu was going to let you say no, though. He really seems to like you. Don't you think so, Ash?" he asked, turning to the boy standing next to him.

"Pikachu? Yeah he does," he confirmed.

"You can sit down," I told Ash. "I won't bite. I promise."

"Oh. Don't worry. I was going to get some food and then I'll be back."

I waited while Ash and Brock went to get their food. When they came back, Ash had three plates of waffles, while Brock had just one. I still could never understand how this kid could eat so much food. He must have a bottomless pit of a stomach. This time instead of staring in shock, I just shook my head as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Brock on the other hand just took one look at Ash, sighed, and shook his head.

"What?" he asked. "I'm really hungry." I think the stares were making him a little self-conscious.

After our huge breakfast, Brock and Ash discussed their plans of heading to Mauville City, the next on their list. I on the other hand, had no idea where I was headed next. I could lie and say I was headed to Mauville as well, in hopes they will ask me to join, but that seemed suspicious. I don't think they would just ask me to join them either. We were standing in the lobby when we began the goodbyes and good luck, hope to see you agains. I had to think of something fast before they left. It wasn't just going to end here. I was determined to follow them just like I had planned.

"Pikachu!" Ash called. I had completely forgotten he was sitting on my shoulder. "Come on, we're leaving." Pikachu didn't budge, though. Ash tried calling him again, but the little electric mouse wouldn't budge. He wasn't leaving from his spot on my shoulder. When Ash tried to lift Pikachu off my shoulder, Pikachu just shocked him instead. Ash looked baffled as to why his prized Pokemon was suddenly disobeying him. I knew why Pikachu wasn't listening, but I couldn't tell Ash that.

"It looks like Pikachu's not going to leave Maddie," Brock observed.

"What am I supposed to do then?" Ash asked. "I'm not leaving without him."

"Well, if you would like, I'm sure you could travel with us, Maddie. That way Pikachu will listen and you won't be alone," Brock suggested.

"What?" Ash asked. His reaction seemed to indicate he was slightly opposed to the idea.

"Come on, Ash. It won't hurt to have another person to travel with. Plus, I don't think you're going to convince Pikachu otherwise."

"But Brock, we already have two. And I'm sure Maddie wouldn't want to travel with two guys." Wow. He really didn't want me around.

"Ash! Stop being so rude," Brock yelled at him. "What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem!" he yelled back. Uh oh.

"Then what's wrong with Maddie joining us? Why are you so opposed?" Brock asked again.

"We're fine!" he yelled. "We don't need another traveling companion. Especially a girl." And with that he stormed away, completely forgetting about Pikachu.

Brock and I stared at his retreating figure, unsure as to how to react to what had just happened. Even Pikachu didn't know what to do. He could sense his trainer was bothered by something, but I don't think the little Pokemon knew what to do.

"If it's going to be a problem, I don't have to travel with you guys. I mean, I would be intruding anyway," I explained to Brock. I did really want to travel with them, but if Ash was clearly opposed then there was no point in me fighting it.

"No. He's just upset. Let me talk to him. You are more than welcome to join us. Please, in fact. I think it would be good to have a girl traveling with us again. I think it would help Ash adjust. That's why he's so opposed. It's not you, its Misty." And with that he ran off to find Ash, Pikachu at his heels.

I was left standing in the lobby by myself, thinking about what would happen next. If I was going to travel with them, Brock had to do a good job because it sounded like it was going to take a lot to convince Ash otherwise. In the meantime, though, I sat down and waited.


	6. How to Bribe a Mouse

I sat on the couch staring at the clock as I watched 15 minutes go by. This must have been one heck of a conversation if they hadn't returned yet. After another five minutes went by, I figured it might be pointless to stick around at this point, so I decided to go see if I could find some alternative plan. As I stood up, though, I heard Pikachu yell at me from across the room. He was bounding towards me, but with nobody following behind him. Brock must have sent him to make sure that I hadn't left yet.

"Hi Pikachu," I greeted the little Pokemon. He jumped up on the couch and sat across from me, folding his little arms across his chest. Pikachu was rather angry with me and begin yelling at me in his language that I had yet to master. Even without being able to translate what he said, just by the look on his face, I could tell he was really peeved.

"Pika! Chu pi! Pika pi!" It yelled, Pika pi being the only word I recognized, for it was what Pikachu called Ash. If I was going to try and communicate with Pikachu, I would need Ash around, and that was not an option right now.

So instead, I just tired to explain. "Look, Pikachu. I know you're mad at me and you don't understand what I'm doing," I whispered. I had to keep my voice down in case Ash and Brock came back. "I just wanted to know what they really thought about me when I wasn't around. I wanted to know if Ash likes me back without getting rejected face to face."

Pikachu just stared at me, trying to comprehend what I had said. I think he understood everything, having a good grasp on the English language. Although, he still seemed to be confused. "Pikkkkkaaa!" he yelled, shaking his head from side to side. Then he started letting little sparks dance around his body. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that Pikachu was threatening me. The threat probably being that it was going to tell Ash about my plan.

"Pikachu!" I hissed. "You can't tell him. Please don't tell him." I know Pikachu cared about Ash more than anything in the world, but I think he might have been going a little over board.

To express his disappointment even more, Pikachu waved his little finger from side to side as if to say, "Ah ah ah", like a mother would to scold her child. If I didn't act fast, Pikachu was going to run off and tell Brock and Ash the truth about whom I really was. In a state of panic, I glanced around the room, hoping something would jump out at me. It was when a girl walked into the lobby with a hamburger that my brain connected the dots and I had a plan.

"Pikachu," I called the Pokemon, in a sweet, singsong voice. "If you don't tell Ash, I'll buy you all the ketchup you could ever want." I smiled in celebration as I saw Pikachu's face turn from one of anger to one of glee. There was nothing Pikachu loved more than ketchup, his excitement proving he loved it more than Ash. Granted I would be spending unnecessary amounts of money on ketchup, but it would all be worth it if Pikachu didn't spill the beans. Just like I had hoped, Pikachu did not pass up the chance to have unlimited amounts of ketchup.

"Pika Pika!" he yelled, bouncing up and down on the couch. He was really excited about this whole ketchup thing.

"Okay. But you have to swear not to say anything," I told him. And with that he used his little fingers to pinkie swear he wouldn't say anything. "You stay right here and I'll be back with some ketchup, okay?" He nodded in agreement, leaving me to go find some ketchup.

Racing to the cafeteria, I asked the lady behind the counter if I could purchase a bottle of ketchup. She looked at me like I had two heads. I imagine it would be quite strange for someone to ask about buying ketchup.

"I really like, ketchup," I told her. She just eyed me some more before going to grab a bottle for me. Despite thinking I was insane, she offered the bottle to me for free. With the ketchup in hand, I rushed back to the lobby where Pikachu was waiting patiently.

When he saw the ketchup, his eyes lit up and he began bouncing up and down again. "Here you go," I offered, opening it up for him before I handed it over. Since Pikachu was still here, I figured that Ash and Brock had not returned yet. As Pikachu sat enjoying his bottle of ketchup, we waited some more before we finally saw Ash and Brock return. It appeared as if Ash looked a little bit better than he had before, but only time would tell.

"Sorry about that," Ash apologized. "I didn't mean to freak out on you like that. You are welcome to join us if you would like to."

"It's okay. Don't worry about that. I completely understand," I told him.

He sighed, probably relieved that I had forgiven him. He stood there stretching as he looked around the room a little bit. That's when he noticed Pikachu.

"Pikachu, where did you get the ketchup?" he asked suspiciously. When I was with them, Pikachu liked to steal the ketchup wherever we went. It ended up becoming quite the problem.

"Pika," he replied pointing to me. Dang it, Pikachu, thanks a lot. I give you ketchup and you blow my cover. I knew I couldn't trust that rat. He had tricked me.

"You gave him ketchup?" Ash asked me.

" Uh.. yeah." I had to act dumb.

"You know that's Pikachu's most favorite thing in the whole world?" he asked me, a little suspicious of the coincidence. "How could have possibly have known that?"

"Uh.. no. I didn't know that. He followed me to the cafeteria where I was waiting and stole the ketchup bottle from the table. I was going to stop him, but he already got his germs all over it." I was getting good at this lying thing.

"Pika?" Pikachu gasped, realizing I just blamed him. I had to smile a bit at the revenge I had successfully gotten against him.

"Pikachu, " Ash sighed in annoyance. "You've got to stop stealing ketchup bottles. I can't afford to keep paying to replace them. Between your ketchup bottles and Misty's bike, I swear I'm going to be broke." And with that, Ash tried to take the bottle from Pikachu, who was strongly opposed to that idea.

"Just let him have it, Ash," Brock suggested. "I'm sure they have plenty more. In the meantime we need to get going if we want to make it on the road before it gets too late."

"Fine." With ketchup bottle in hand, Pikachu jumped on Ash's head as he headed towards the exit, Brock and I following close behind.

It was a little weird to be back on the road with them again. I was more than happy that my plan had succeeded, but it still felt odd. Even though I was the same person, I knew my traveling experience would be much different than it had been when I was traveling with them as Misty because in personality, I wasn't the same. I was a much nicer, girlier and more patient version of Misty. I could still keep some of my traits, but I had to be careful. The entire time we were walking, Pikachu glared at me from atop Ash's head. Apparently he was still rather angry that I had gotten him in trouble with Ash. He couldn't do anything about it, though, because he had pinkie swore that he wouldn't say anything. Maddie-1, Pikachu-0. I liked that score.


	7. Hey! What's Up? You're Late

We continued walking to the next city, having brief conversations every now and then. There really wasn't a whole lot to talk about yet. I was a little surprised they didn't ask me more about my life before meeting them, but at the same time, I was happy they hadn't. The hours went by and the sun blazed above us. It was a hot day today and I was quickly getting tired. It was hard to get back into the swing of this constant walking when I hadn't done it in three years. I had done workouts at the gym with my pokemon, but this was completely different. I didn't have to swim up hills at the gym.

"Can we take a break?" I asked, finally giving in to my exhaustion.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We should probably consider setting up camp for the night, too," Brock stated. Ash didn't say anything, instead just going along with what we had decided. "Ash can you go and get some firewood?"

"Yeah. Sure." And with that he left with Pikachu to go find some firewood.

"What can I help with?" I asked Brock.

"If you want to set up the tent, that would be great. Do you know how to do that?" he asked.

"Sure I do." Of course I remembered how to put up a tent. Sheesh.

"Good." And with that he resumed his preparing of our dinner while I pulled out the tent from his backpack and set it up.

Unfortunately for me, Brock and Ash had purchased a new tent while I was away. One that I didn't know how to set it up like I thought. I had really hoped they still had the old one we had used all the time, having perfected the art of setting that one up. With the poles laid out in front of me, I glanced at the directions trying to make sense of them. It was beginning to get confusing, but I didn't want to give up just yet. Putting the pieces together, I slowly started to put up the tent similar to how the directions said it was supposed to look. I had finally put it together when I was left with the stupid strings that helped tie it down. Without them the tent would fall over with the slightest gust of wind. After minutes of fighting to get them tied, I finally got everything into order, the victory standing proudly in front of me.

"Not half bad," Brock remarked from the food he was preparing. Not half bad? I would say it was pretty good. That tent wasn't as easy as it looked. "If you want you can throw your bag into it. Throw Ash's in to, please while you're at it. That way nothing can happen to them."

"Okay."

Grabbing my backpack and Ash's I unzipped the tent door and crawled inside. This new tent was much bigger than the old one we used to use. Instead of two little spaces, there were now two giant ones that could easily fit two people each. I figured while I was here, I would set up my sleeping area as well. Pulling my sleeping bag out of my bag, I unrolled it and placed it in one of the corners, leaving room for Ash and Brock. When I left the tent, Ash and Pikachu were just returning from collecting firewood.

"Thanks, Ash." Brock said, taking the firewood from Ash. "You two can sit and wait. I'm almost done."

Following his instructions, Ash and I sat down on the grass while we waited for Brock to finish cooking. Although Ash had suddenly changed his mind about me traveling with them, he still hadn't said a word to me. Pikachu on the other hand had no problems talking to me, although I still didn't understand everything he said.

"Pi pi pika chu?" Pikachu asked me.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu. I don't understand what you're saying," I told him.

"He asked if he could take a nap on your lap," Ash translated for me without even turning in my direction.

"Oh. Of course you can, Pikachu." And with that, Pikachu curled up in my lap and fell asleep.

"Hey, Maddie?" Ash asked, finally deciding to talk to me.

"Hmm?"

"What did Misty tell you about her travels? I know you said she didn't say much, but she had to say some things, right?" he asked. He really wanted to know what I had said.

"Yeah. She said a few things. She mainly talked about how she had traveled with her two friends. One who wanted to be a Pokemon master, and one who wanted to be a breeder. She said her friend didn't make it as a Pokemon master, yet, but that she was really proud of how far he had gotten and that she knew he would one day achieve his dream. That's about it, though. When I would ask her anything about names, or battles, or favorite memories, she wouldn't say anything."

"That's it?" he asked, as if he expected more.

"Yeah. Oh! Wait! There was this one guy who always stopped by the gym to drop of things from this guy named Professor Oak who lived in Pallet. She said that he had traveled with you and her at one point," I added.

"You mean Tracy?" he asked.

"That's it. Yeah. Tracy was his name. I think he only came over to see Daisy, though."

"Oh. Okay."

Just as I was about to ask him to tell me more about his experience with Misty, Brock finished dinner and began handing us bowls. When I received my bowl, I took one look inside and paled at the sight before me. Inside the bowl was vegetable soup, filled with carrots. How was I going to hide this one? No matter how hard I had tried, I still couldn't get myself to enjoy carrots or peppers, and while were on it, I still hated bugs. Pikachu, who had woken up, smelled the carrots in the soup and smirked at me. Deep down I knew I love Pikachu, but he was really starting to annoy me. I think he just wanted to see me crash and burn. He knew he couldn't say anything to Ash, but that didn't stop him from finding the loophole of trying to give little signals.

I tried my best to eat my soup, trying to pick through the carrots in a stealthy manor. If I could eat the soup and discard of the carrots before Brock or Ash noticed, I would be safe. I think my lucky stars were shining that day because just as Brock was offering me more soup, there was a giant explosion. It was none other than my three most favorite villains in the whole world: Team Rocket. I was starting to wonder when they would show up. They were a little behind schedule today, for it was almost nighttime and Pikachu had yet to be stolen. (That would knock the smirk of his little face). Regardless, never in my life did I ever think I would be happy to see Team Rocket. To my surprise, though, Team Rocket had gotten creative and had created a whole new motto to annoy me with. After they finished their stupid motto, and Brock and Ash had yelled "Team Rocket!" as if they were shocked by their presence. Honestly? Their "surprise" attacks hadn't been that surprising since second week of Ash's journey. Sometimes I even contemplated being like, "Hey Team Rocket! Welcome back. What's new?" Anyways, they had their Super Pikachu Catcher 2000 something that was electric proof in order to prevent Pikachu from escaping. (Amazingly, they had gotten smarter over the years). Just like they always did, they snatched up Pikachu and used Koffing's smoke screen to create a distraction while they tried to escape. I used this time to throw the remaining carrots into a near by bush.

"Who are they?" I asked, as if I had no idea. Although, now that I thought about it, the big "R" on their shirts was probably a dead give away.

"They're Team Rocket. They've been following us forever trying to catch Pikachu," Brock explained.

"Who's your new little friend?" Jesse asked from the control panel atop their machine. "I haven't seen her before. Get sick of the old twerpet?"

"Leave us alone and give back Pikachu," Ash yelled. He didn't want to talk about Misty with Team Rocket either. I wonder if Meowth knew who I really was? He was a Pokemon after all.

"Yeah right," James laughed.

Desperate to get Pikachu back, Ash called out his Bayleef and commanded it to use razor leaf. Unfortunately, it didn't do much as far as destroying the machine. It appeared that if they wanted to destroy the machine, they would need to either melt it or disconnect one of the machines parts.

"Try a vine whip!" Ash yelled. That didn't work either.

"HA HA HA! You can't get us," Meowth teased.

"Move over. I got this, " I told Ash, shoving him out of the way a little bit. "Go Growlithe! Use your Flame Thrower and melt that machine!" With both speed and agility, Growlithe melted part of the machine, causing it to fall apart.

Team Rocket's machine started falling apart just as I had planned, the container holding Pikachu falling with it. Ash rushed over, grabbing Pikachu and freeing him from the container. Recalling Growlithe, I stepped back a bit to let Ash deliver the final blow like always. And right on cue, Ash ordered Pikachu to use a thunderbolt sending Team Rocket flying through the sky.

"Thanks for helping us out," Ash thanked me. "That's a really strong Growlithe you have there."  
>"Thanks. We've been training hard together, haven't we, Growlithe?"<p>

"Growlllithe!" my pokemon barked in agreement.

"Let's finish up dinner, I'm hungry," Ash declared, making me smile a bit. No matter what happens, Ash would always put food first.

We all sat back down around the fire to finish our dinner before heading to bed. Since I had "finished" first, and didn't want any seconds, I decided to head to bed first. Slipping into my sleeping bag, I curled up and closed my eyes.


	8. Phone Calls Home

Compared to the night before, I did get a better quality of sleep, but the quantity wasn't much better. This time, though, it had nothing to do with being kept up by my thoughts. Instead it was thanks to a certain Pokemon trainer. Everything was fine and I was sleeping very peacefully until I felt an unusual pain in my side. At first I thought it to just myself accidentally rolling over on something, but when it begin happening again and again, I concluded it wasn't me. With one last final hit, I woke up to see what was the source. After some quick investigating, I saw that the source of my pain was coming from the tossing and turning Ash next to me. Every time he had turned away from me, his elbow would hit me on the side. If I wasn't trying to pretend to be someone else, I would have been a lot angrier than I was now. Instead, I tried to rearrange my sleeping bag so that he couldn't hit me anymore. It was in the middle of this when he started talking in his sleep. Now I had never heard Ash talk in his sleep before, so this must have been something new.

"Stop!" he kept yelling as he tossed back and forth. "Please come back. Don't leave me." He was having a nightmare. When I saw that he had started breaking out in a cold sweat, it was then that I decided I needed to wake him up.

"Ash," I said, shaking him a bit to wake him up. He wouldn't wake up, though, so I had to start shoving him a lot harder. After numerous failed attempts to wake him up, I gave one last final shove, putting all the strength I had into it. Almost instantly, he woke up and quickly sat up, crashing his forehead into mine. I put my hand on my forehead, closing my eyes at the severity of the pain I was feeling. Ash on the other hand seemed to be okay. Within a few seconds, I could feel a big knot forming. Forget my stupid plan, I was ready to kill him.

He finally looked around to survey the scene before him, his eyes catching the knot on my forehead. "Oh my, god! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" he scooted over to get a closer inspection. He tried to move my hand, but I just swatted it away. "Can I take a look at it? I just want to make sure it's not too serious."

"Fine." Giving in, I moved my hand so he could get a closer look. He was really careful as he moved my hair out of my face to inspect the bump. I think he was actually really concerned about me for once.

I watched as his face changed into one of inquiry as he looked at the giant knot of my forehead. While he was looking it over, our eyes met and, for the first time since I had ran into him, he smiled at me. It was that lopsided grin that I had grown to love, too. "I think you're going to be okay. It looks like you just want to put ice on it. That should bring the swelling down. I don't have any ice now, but you could use an ice Pokemon if you have one. Although, it looks as if the swelling is starting to go down already."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's my fault anyway. Thanks for trusting me, though," he said.

"Trusting you?" I asked. I didn't really understand what he meant.

"Yeah. You trusted me that I wasn't going to hurt you and let me help you," he explained. He looked at me and smiled again and then looked down at his lap. "Misty would have never let me do that."

"Do what?"

"Help her. If she hadn't already been yelling at me for hitting her in the head, she would've denied my offer to help, probably thinking I would somehow hurt her again." It kind of stung a little to hear him say that. To think that he didn't think I trusted him and thought he would hurt me. I never thought that, but sitting here listening to him say that, made me realize how much more my pride had impacted him than it did myself.

"So why were you trying to wake me up? Something wrong?" he asked, bringing us back to the reason we were in this position.

"You were tossing and turning and then you started talking in your sleep. I think you were having a nightmare. You want to talk about it?" I asked. I knew he didn't know me very well, but maybe he would let me help him a bit since I had just let him do the same.

"I...," he hesitated a bit.

"You don't have to get into great detail if it's personal," I added, seeing if that would make him more comfortable.

"I'm okay," he told me. So much for that. I guess he didn't trust me enough. "You should go back to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight, Ash." Climbing back to my sleeping bag, I got under the covers and tried to fall back to sleep.

Thankfully the next morning, the swelling had gone down and was almost unnoticeable. Before we continued to the next town, we had a quick breakfast and packed up our things. At first it wasn't so evident, but I began to notice a change in our traveling compared to day before. Instead of completely ignoring me, Ash occasionally walked beside me while he talked to me about various things. I think our conversation last night had helped our relationship out a bit. He knew that I trusted him, and now he could start to slowly open up to me and learn to trust me, too.

We finally reached Mauville city a few hours later and checked into the Pokemon center there. This time, I wasn't on my own and got to share a room with Ash and Brock just like the old days. Of course when we arrived, Brock began trying to hit on Nurse Joy, but Pikachu quickly reminded him how we all felt about that. I would have stopped him myself with the old, pull him away be the ear trick, but that wasn't in my best interest.

While we waited for our Pokemon, Brock read the news and I went with Ash and Pikachu who were calling his mom to let her know how they were doing. I hadn't seen Ms. Ketchum in ages, so this was going to be interesting. Pulling up a chair, I sat next to Ash and watched him type in a few numbers before the phone started ringing.

"Ketchum residence!" Ms. Ketchum answered in that really friendly voice of hers.

"Hey mom, it's me," Ash answered in a not so exciting voice.

"Hello, honey! How are you doing? How's Pikachu?" she asked.

"We're both doing well. We just got to Mauville city."

"Okay. Sweetie, is everything okay?" she asked concern written all over her face.

"Huh? Yeah. Everything's okay," he replied. I'm pretty sure he was lying, though.

"Okay, Ashey. I'm just worried about you,"

"I know, mom. But I'm okay." Why would he lie to his mom?

"So who's your new friend?" she asked, finally noticing me.

"This is Maddie. We met her in Slateport. She's a trainer from Cerulean City. She knows, Misty, too," he explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah. She used to work at the gym volunteering."

"What a small world," she commented, laughing a bit. Oh yes, Ms. Ketchum. What a small world it was indeed. "Well it's nice to meet you, Maddie. If I'm lucky I'll get to see you at my house soon. Take good care of my little boy."

"Mom," Ash groaned. Ms. Ketchum was always really good at embarrassing her son.

She just shook her head at her son's antics. "Speaking of Misty, how's she doing?" Ms. Ketchum asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know."

"Well haven't you talked to her?" No, Ms, Ketchum. No he hadn't.

"Well...," he began.

"Ash Ketchum," she said, in that voice your parents use when they are getting mad at you.

"No," he sighed, giving in to his mom. Maybe now I would get some answers. I would have to thank Ms. Ketchum later. As Misty that is. "Not in three years."

"THREE YEARS! Ashton Satoshi Ketchum!" she barked. "You better have a good reason for not calling her. That girl has done so much for you. And if I recall, you had promised to keep in touch. I'm sure she's worried about you." I don't think anyone could have said it better than her. I had been worried about Ash. When you don't hear from someone in 3 years, you start to think that maybe something happened to him or her.

"But mom-"

"No buts, Ash. You had better call her the minute you hang up. I am extremely disappointed in you. I don't know what you were thinking. That's extremely rude. I thought I raised you better. I hope Misty is nice enough to forgive you." I had never seen Ms. Ketchum this angry at Ash before.

"Fine. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, sweetie. Good luck, stay safe," she said switching into a sweeter tone like magic. "Don't forget to change your you-know-whats." At that Ash's face turned a dark red and he quickly hung up the phone. I guess old habits die hard.


	9. Moms Know Best

After he hung up the phone, Ash just stared at the table the phone was sitting on. He knew what he had to do next and he clearly didn't want to do it. Although he would be disobeying his mom by not doing it, I kind of hoped he didn't call for my sake. I hadn't gotten that far in my planning, yet.

"So what are you going to do?" I asked him.

"I'm going to go get my Pokemon," he said, getting up to do exactly that.

"But what about-"

"She's probably busy. I doubt she wants to talk to me, too." I'm not busy you big dummy! I'm standing right here! Can't you see that? I want to talk to you! I want to know if you're okay! That you're still alive! Stop being stupid! I didn't yell any of that, but every fiber of me wanted to. Pikachu with his stupid smirk was sitting on the table watching me have an internal battle with myself. "Can it, Pikachu."

"Pika!" he yelled at me before jumping off the table to go catch up with Ash. Pikachu was slowly becoming less and less adorable.

After receiving our Pokemon, we left the center to go find the gym so that Ash could try and get a badge. Knowing I wouldn't be able to contain myself from yelling at him, I told Ash and Brock that I was going to walk around a bit and meet up with them later at the center. While they headed off to the gym, I headed towards a little park they were supposed to have here in the city.

I quickly found the park and decided to sit down on a nearby for a bench. I let my Pokemon out, too, so that they could have some free time outside for a bit. As I was sitting on the bench thinking about how I was going to get Ash to trust me, my phone started ringing. I had completely forgotten that I had my cell phone with me. Although I had opposed, Daisy demanded I take it in case of an emergency.

"Hello?" I said, not saying who I was to be safe.  
>"Hi, this is Delia Ketchum. Is this Misty?" Oh shoot. Ms. Ketchum had called me.<p>

"Yeah. Hi, Ms. Ketchum. How are you?" I had to keep this conversation short.

"I'm doing well, dear. And yourself?" she asked, although I had a feeling she wasn't just calling to see how I was doing.

"I'm doing well. Can I help you with something?" I asked her, trying to get to the main reason she had called me.

I heard her laugh a little on the other line. "You know me too well, dear. I was calling to see if Ash had called you."

"Ash?" I asked, even though I knew this was probably why she had called. "Yeah he called." For both the benefit of myself, my plan, and Ash, I lied.

"Are you sure?" she asked, spotting my lie.

"Yep."

"Misty, dear. You don't have to lie for Ash. If he didn't call, he didn't call. You don't need to protect him." I was caught. I couldn't keep lying to Ms. Ketchum or she would call Ash and ask why I had lied for him. But at the same time, I really wanted to tell her the truth.

"He...," I began, my voice getting caught in my throat. I could feel the emotions bubbling inside of me.

"He what, dear? It's okay. I'm here if you need to talk." I wasn't her child but she treated me like I was her daughter, doing a better job than my sisters ever did.

"He didn't call," I confessed, finally giving in to my emotions and letting the tears come out. I had been bottling this up inside forever and I knew I could trust Ms. Ketchum. "He's never called. It's been three years. THREE YEARS! And I've heard nothing from him. I've sent him letters, but he's never sent any back I doubt he even reads them. I've tried calling him, but he just ignores my phone calls. He's been home plenty of times. I know he has. Tracy told me. He never visits. Just skips Cerulean completely. He promised me he would stay in touch. Promised me! And I trusted him. It was all a big fat lie, though. He doesn't miss me. He doesn't care about me anymore. I'm not his friend." Surprisingly, it felt good to finally get that all off my chest. These have been the words I've wanted to say for ages, but never had the guts to.

"You really care about him, don't you, dear?" she asked.

"So much," I replied. I had a feeling she already knew that, though.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, dear. I'm worried about him. It's not like him to ignore his friends like this. I'm really disappointed by his actions. He's not thinking straight and I don't know why. I do know, though, that despite what you might think, he really cares about you. I know his actions aren't showing that at all right now, but I assure you he does." The funny thing is, I believed her. And she was the only one that could have convinced me.

"The funny thing is, Ms. Ketchum, I believe you."

"Well I'm glad," she replied, chuckling a bit. "I talked to him earlier and he promised me he would call you, but I see that's not the case. I'll make sure he calls. Don't worry."

"No."

"No?"

"It's okay, Ms. Ketchum. You don't need to make him call me. I'd rather him choose to do it himself instead of being forced to. "

"Okay, dear. I can understand that. If you're ever in Pallet you are more than welcome to stop by. This is as much your home as it is Ash's. You're always welcome here."

"Thank you, Ms. Ketchum," I said, smiling a bit. It was nice to know that there was always somewhere I could call home.

"Your very welcome, dear. I'm sorry to leave you, but I must go pick up my new flowers." Oh, Ms. Ketchum and her garden.  
>"Okay. Goodbye."<p>

"Goodbye, dear." After she hung up, I slowly closed my phone and stared straight ahead. Looking at my watch, I figured it would be a good time to head back to the center and wait for Ash and Brock to return. Returning all my Pokemon back into their Pokemon balls, I left the park and headed back to the center.


	10. How to Get Kicked Out of a Town

"Hey, Maddie!" Ash called, as he walked through the doors of the center. He was full of energy, a big smile on his face. I take it he won.

"How'd you do?" I asked.

"I won!" he cheered. "See?" He pulled out the badge and showed me as proof of his victory.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks," he said, sitting down beside me. "So what were you up to?"

Oh, you know? Having secret conversations with your mom about how much of a jerk you're being toward me-I mean Misty. "I went to the park with my Pokemon."

"That sounds fun," he commented, although, I think he was just being nice. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. We were going to head to lunch." It was amazing how much his mood could change after winning a battle. It was if he didn't even remember talking to his mom.

After Brock was done flirting with Nurse Joy for the bajillionth time, we headed out to grab something to eat. As usual, Ash ate a ton and Pikachu demanded I get him the unlimited amounts of ketchup I had promised him. When we were done eating, we decided to start heading to the next city. After that, things just seemed to stay that way for weeks.

As the weeks went by, we traveled to each city so that Ash could collect badges to enter some league again. We ran into Team Rocket almost every day without fail, going through the same routine of them stealing Pikachu, us getting him back and then us sending them blasting off again. To add to the excitement, we even got lost a couple of times. Unlike how I would normally react, I was able to keep my cool and help figure a way out. As Ash had mentioned many times, Misty wouldn't have acted this way. She always got mad at him and that's when they would start arguing. I mean, if you really wanted me to Ash, I could be Misty for you.

Amazingly, though, our weeks of traveling together had helped the relationship between Ash and I. We talked more and he even started asking me for battling advice. He still was hesitant when it came to talking about Misty, but I could tell we were getting there. I even went and watched a few of his gym battles, which reflected the large improvement that had occurred in his battling skills. For once he wasn't making dumb choices and was actually thinking about the different strengths and weaknesses his Pokemon had over his opponent.

On the other hand, his stupid electric mouse was running me dry with his ketchup demands. Seriously? How much ketchup did Pikachu eat? When this was over-whenever that was-Ash was not only going to owe me bike money, but money for ketchup as well.

We were nearing the end of our third month of traveling when we arrived in Fortree city. It was a really neat city, made up of all tree houses. Talk about a kids dream. What kid wouldn't want to live in a city made of tree houses? Of course, Ash was the first one to bring up his desire to live in house like this. I had a feeling it might be hard to get him to leave. Even the people there were really nice, allowing us to wander a bit in their tree houses. It was a little scary being up high at first, but after a while I got used to it.

"Hey, Maddie! I'll race you across the bridges," Ash challenged, referring to the bridges that connected the tree houses.

"Uh, no thanks," I declined.

"Don't be a chicken," he teased. "They're really sturdy, see?" And to prove his point, he ran back and forth across the bridge, stopping in the middle to jump up and down on it.

The people who had kindly shared their home with us began panicking, convinced that Ash was going to break their bridge and fall. They started yelling at Brock and I tell him to stop, as if them saying something wasn't enough. At this point, the bridge was swaying, freaking the people out even more.

"Ash! Stop right now! You're freaking everyone out," I yelled at him since nobody else was.

"Come on, Maddie," he tried to fight back.

"Ash! You idiot! Get off now!" I yelled, sounding more like the Misty Ash always referred to. This time, he stopped jumping and walked back over to where we were standing, seeing that I meant business.

As Brock tried to apologize for Ash's behavior, the house owners just glared at Ash, not caring much about what Brock was saying. We hadn't even been in the city an hour and Ash was already going to get us kicked out.

After terrifying the citizens, we headed to our little tree house cabin. Instead of staying in the center, they had houses they lent out for traveling trainers to stay in. The cabin was set up just like I imagined a tree house interior to look like. As far as beds go, there were two sets of bunk beds just like you found in the Pokemon centers. We even had a little balcony that looked out into the surrounding forest. It was a small cabin, but at the same time it felt pretty cozy.

Instead of battling the gym leader, we had decided to spend the day exploring the city and relaxing from our past days of traveling. There wasn't much to do in the city, but there was a big atrium, so we decided to visit that. In the atrium, there were all kinds of bird Pokemon form the familiar Pidgeys to giant pelican like birds called Pellipers. There were even some Spearows, which I jokingly told Ash not to anger because they were known to be mean.

"Yeah, I know," he told me, making sure to steer clear of them. Even Pikachu tried to hide from the Spearow by clinging to Ash. I think they were both afraid that the Spearow they had ticked up those many years ago had found its way to the atrium.

Aside from the Spearows, I enjoyed our visit to the atrium, getting to see more Pokemon that I'd never seen before. Although, Maddie wasn't a water trainer, I was still one at heart and instantly fell in love with the Pelliper and Wingull. I ended up giving them the majority of the food we had received at the entrance. For once it seemed that I was enjoying myself and not worrying about Ash finding out or how I was going to pay for Pikachu's ketchup. I think even Ash and Pikachu were enjoying themselves, sharing all their food with as many Pokemon as they could. As I was sitting on the bench, I noticed Ash stealing glances at me every now and then. When I caught him in the act, he simply smiled and returned to feeding the birds. I think Brock noticed him, too because he shook his head and laughed at Ash.


	11. We're Getting Closer

Later that day after our exploring and after we had eaten, we headed back to our cabin for the night. Just as we were about to walk in, Brock suddenly remembered he had left something at the café that he had to go get. I think that was one big giant lie. I eyed him suspiciously as he turned and left, but Ash just walked in, the whole thing going right over his head. Sometimes his obliviousness concerned me. Even though it was really early, Ash decided to head to bed. What teenager goes to bed at 7? I don't know. While he headed to bed, I climbed up to my bunk above him and cleaned out my bag.

"Hey, Maddie?" I heard from below me. I guess he decided not to take a nap after all.

"Hmm?" I asked, poking my head over the rail so I could see him.

"Can I ask you question?" he asked.

"You already did," I teased. I just couldn't resist. He laughed a bit, too. "Sorry. Shoot." I was paying attention now. I promise.

"Have you ever liked someone?" he asked, barely audible.

"What do you mean?"

"You know? As in more than a close friend?" This was a rather odd question from Ash. I didn't think he could even pick up on this stuff let alone contemplate it.

"I know what you mean. And I have liked someone as more than a close friend."

"How did you know?"

"That I liked them? Well, no matter what they always made me smile. I enjoyed their company and being around them. I worry about them and try to help them out anyway I can. They can make me laugh and no mater how many times they annoy me, I can look past their flaws and like them just the way they are. It's also hard when they aren't around because I miss them a lot." And that's how I feel about you.

"Oh." He sat there processing what I had said, probably trying to make sense of it all. "How did you tell them?"

"Uh..." How was I supposed to answer this one? Well, Ash. I pretended to be someone else and joined him on his journey, bribed his Pokemon not to say anything, than told him without him knowing it was me. I don't know about you, but that's the way to go. "I haven't." Technically, in a way that counted, I hadn't.

"Are going to ever tell them?"

"Maybe. When the time is right." My neck was starting to hurt from looking over the railing.

"How do you know when the time is right?"

"You have a lot of questions," I stated. "What brought this up anyway? Do you like someone in that way?" Now it was his turn to talk.

"Sorry. I don't know anything about that stuff. I'd ask Brock, but he would turn it into a more of a, I told you so. Misty used to know all about that stuff, but she's not here, so I figured you would be my next best solution." At least he was honest.

"Why would Brock turn it into an, I told you so?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh.. um, no reason." What a terrible, terrible liar.

"You suck at lying, you know?"

"Yeah. I know. But I think I like someone in more of a friend way, but I'm not sure. Most of those things you mentioned apply to how I feel about this person, but I'm still confused."

"It's okay to be a little confused. In fact, it's probably better to be sure than to do anything when you are unsure." I'd rather someone do that for me.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

"Thanks for your help. I'm going to really head to bed now. Sleep well,"

"Your welcome and goodnight, Ash."

"Goodnight, Maddie," he answered back before silence took over. "Hey, Maddie?"

"Yeah, Ash?"

"I'm glad you're traveling with us."

"Me, too, Ash. Me, too." Maybe things were starting to look up. We were both asleep before we knew it, neither of us hearing Brock walk into the room 30 minutes later. I guess I was also that teenager that went to bed at 7.

The next day we went to the gym so that Ash could challenge the gym leader there. As we walked to the gym, Brock gave us description of the gym from his guidebook like he always did. The gym leader used flying type Pokemon, so he suggested that Ash use Pikachu to his advantage. I sometimes wondered what Ash would do without Brock to help him. He might not have gotten as far. When we got to the gym, we found the gym leader Winona waiting. She was all decked out in a purple, bird like costume that also looked like an old time pilot outfit. In addition, it reminded me of what those people wore on Shamuit Island. Of course when we got there, Brock had to hit on her, but she wasn't going to have any of that.

Instead, her and Ash quickly got the battle started, her beginning with a Pelliper and Ash with his Bayleef. Brock and I stood behind the sidelines watching the battle unfolding before our eyes. Both Pokemon were putting up a good fight, but in the end Bayleef had the type advantage and defeated Pelliper, giving Ash one victory. The next battled pinned Ash's Bayleef against Winona's Alteria. Tired from the last battle, Bayleef didn't last long, getting taken out by Alteria's Dragon Breath. Since Alteria was still part flying, Ash picked Pikachu next. Using his speed and agility, Ash's Pikachu easily defeated the graceful Alteria, giving Ash his second win. Now it was all down to the final battle. In the final battle, Pikachu was almost knocked out, but beat the odds and defeated Winona's Swellow. Successfully defeating all of Winona's Pokemon, Ash received his badge as proof of his victory. And just like it always had been, Ash and Pikachu did their signature victory pose. With a congratulations, a thanks, and a goodbye, we headed out and to the next city, the villagers thrilled to see Ash leaving.


	12. The Tipping Point

Again, weeks went by, slowly turning into another month. Ash never asked me about liking people again, but he would drop subtle hints that he still thought about it. Even Brock and I were getting along even better. (Not that we hadn't before). He no longer hit on me and had even taught me how to cook some meals. In addition, Ash had gotten the last two badges he needed to enter the league. Although, that wasn't where we were headed. Instead, we were headed to Petalburg City for some reason. I had asked them why since Petalburg city was completely out of our way.

"Two of our good friends live there," Brock explained. "They traveled with us the first time we came to Hoenn."

"Wait. You've been here before?" I asked. I could have sworn this was the first time Ash had been here.

"Yeah. Ash wanted to come back and re-enter the league. He's trying to go back and do better in all the leagues again before he goes to any other regions."

"Oh." I didn't know that Ash had been here before. Then again, he had never called me, so how was I supposed to know? "Who lives in Petalburg?"

"Our friends May and Max. Their dad is the gym leader there." I had heard about May and Max from Tracy, but I never thought I would ever meet them.

Since we had backtracked and gone to Dewford Island, we were able to get a ride form Mr. Briney back to Rustburo City where we could walk to Petalburg from. We had only made it through half of the Petalburg Woods when we called it a night. While Ash got firewood and Brock cooked dinner, I was sent to get some water from the near by lake. According to Brock, all I had to do was walk straight and I would find it. After a few wrong turns, I managed to find a lake, not necessarily the right one. Using the canteens they had each gave me, I filled them up with water and headed back to camp. As I got closer to our campsite, I could hear Ash and Brock talking. I knew I shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but this was the only way I could get some more information.

"I told Max that we should be there by tomorrow," Ash told Brock while he built the fire.

"Yeah. That should be right if everything goes smoothly. I'm actually excited to see them. I can't wait to hear what they've been up to. It's been a long time."

"Yeah. Me, too," Ash added, although in a less exciting voice.

"Hey, Ash?" Brock asked.

"Hm?"

"Since we are visiting May and Max, when we get back to Kanto we should go visit Misty. It's been a long time." Yeah, I agreed. It had.

"No."

"What do you mean no?" Brock asked. "Ash it's been three years. Why won't you go visit her?"

"I don't want to," he stated, kicking the dirt in front of him.

"Why not?"

"Because... because..." Come on Ash! "Just forget it." Dang it.

"Ash."

"Just drop it, okay? I'm not going."

"Fine. But I am. You're welcome to join me," Brock told him.

"Okay. Whatever." And with that the conversation was over. Standing up, I waited a few minutes before I walked back to camp where Ash and Brock were pretending that nothing had happened.

It was a slow night after dinner, nobody really doing much of anything. Pikachu and Ash trained a bit while Brock read from his breeder's magazine. I let my Pokemon out so that they could get some fresh air. Pikachu and Plusle got along right away, both sharing the same bouncy personality. My Growlithe stayed close by in case it would need to defend us, while my Vaporeon lounged around and Bellossom danced around. I hadn't actually trained many of these Pokemon by myself, borrowing all except Vaporeon from Professor Oak. He had given me the Pokemon he felt needed to get out and travel with a trainer for a while. I had briefly mentioned my interest in learning about different Pokemon types, so he had sent a few over before I left. Finally it was time for us to head to bed if we wanted to make it to Petalburg by tomorrow afternoon.

After breakfast the next morning, we made our way through the forest at a record pace, arriving in Petalburg in no time. When we got to the home of Max and May, Max came running out the door to greet us, followed by his mother.

"Hello! Welcome back. How have you guys been?" she asked. She reminded me a lot of Ms. Ketchum.

"We're doing well, Caroline. It's nice to be back," Brock answered for him and Ash.

"So what Pokemon have you caught, Ash?" Max asked, eager to get to the important part. "You have to show me later."

"Okay. Sure. No problem."

"Yes!" Max cheered in celebration.

"Where's May?" Brock asked, noticing she was not there.

"With Drew," Max explained, adding a laugh after.

"Drew?" Ash asked confused. I had no idea who they were talking about.

"Yeah. Her booooyfriend," Max teased. I bet he drove May crazy.

"Max, be nice to your sister," Caroline scolded. "She should be back soon, so don't worry. You'll get to see her."

"Okay." In the meantime, Caroline invited us into her home, which was spotless just like Ms. Ketchum's would be.

"What would you guys like for lunch?" she asked.

"Pasta!" Max yelled before any of us could answer.

"Max, let our guests pick."

"Pasta actually sounds good," we told her. I didn't mind it. I liked pasta.

"Well okay," she said before heading to the kitchen.

"Would you like any help?" Brock offered.

"Oh no. Don't worry. Sit down and enjoy yourself."

"Follow me!" Max called, taking us to the living room.

It was a nice family room, complete with two couches, a table and a T.V. so Max could watch the latest Pokemon matches. According to Ash, he was a huge Pokemon fan. He wasn't old enough to get his license, yet, but he probably knew more than any beginner.

"I'm home!" a girl called, the door slamming behind her. That must have been May.

"In the living room," Max yelled.

I heard footsteps going down the hallway followed by May walking into the living room. "Ash! Brock! Pikachu!" she yelled. "It's great to see you guys!" She ran over and gave them each a hug before finally resting her eyes on me.

"Maddie," I answered before she could ask.

"Hi, Maddie. I'm May. It's really nice to meet you." She had dark brown hair that she had tied in a ponytail, and big blue eyes that seemed to sparkle a bit. She was dressed like she had just been running instead of hanging out with her boyfriend.

"So, May," Brock began. "What's this about Drew?"

"How did you hear about him?" she asked.

"Little bird," Brock stated.

"Max," May hissed, anger in her voice. I could see a sibling fight breaking out. I knew all about those. "I'll deal with you later."

May sat down and we started talking a bit about what everyone had been up to. Midway through the conversation, Caroline had told us she needed to run to the store, having forgotten some ingredients, and would be back soon. After a bit, though the conversation died down.

"Let's play a game, " Brock suggested.

"What kind of game," Ash asked.

"The question game."

"What's that?"

"You just go around asking people questions about themselves." It seemed easy enough. I had to be careful, though.

"Sounds fun," I said, followed by agreements from May and Max. Now it was up to Ash.

"I guess we could play," he said. And with that, the question game began.

"I'll go first," Max offered. "May. What did you go do with Drew?"

"That's a dumb question. Do I have to answer?" she asked.

"You don't HAVE to, but it would make it more fun if you did," Brock explained.

"Fine," May huffed, crossing her arms. "We went to the park and did some contest training."

"Yeah right," Max replied. I think it just wasn't what he wanted to hear. He probably wanted to hear some juicy story.

"You're turn, May," Brock said.

"Okay, Hmm...Maddie," she said, turning towards me. "How did you meet Ash and Brock? Did Pikachu fry your bike, too?" So this had apparently become quite the trend for Ash to meet traveling companions.

"Hey!" Ash yelled in defense. "It was an accident. It was Team Rocket's fault anyway." May just rolled her eyes.

"Ha ha. No, he didn't. I met them in Slateport. Pikachu wouldn't stop following me and refused to leave me, so they asked me to join them," I told May. In reality, though, Pikachu had fried my bike when I fished him and Ash out of a river. So yes, May, he had.

"Okay guys. Everyone calm down," Brock said trying to keep things from getting out of hand. "It's your turn Maddie."

"Brock," I started. "Has there ever been a girl you've not hit on?" I asked.

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I didn't hit on Misty when I first met her." Ding ding ding. We have a winner.

"Ooo," I awed, jokingly. "What a lucky girl." Now it was Brock's turn.

"Okay, Ash. I have a question for you."

"Oh no," Ash said in fear. This could go so many directions.

"What would you do if I told you I had called Misty and invited her to come watch the league championships in a few weeks." I knew he was lying because I had received no phone call from Brock, nor had Daisy called me to say so.

"You did what?" Ash gasped.

"I called Misty and invited her." I wonder how long Brock could keep this lie going.

"I told you not to!" Ash yelled. He was starting to freak out a bit. "Why did you invite her? What made you think you could do that? What the hell were you thinking? GOD DAMN IT, BROCK! I TOLD YOU NO!"

"ASH!" I yelled. I had never heard him curse before.

"In case you've forgotten Ash, she's my friend, too. You don't have any right to control who can invite her to places just because you don't want her around." I could sense Brock was getting fed up with Ash's behavior and that we were slowly reaching a tipping point.

"I TOLD YOU NO AND YOU HAD TO GO AND TRY TO MAKE THINGS BETTER BY INVITING HER! STOP TRYING TO HELP BROCK! I DON'T NEED IT! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP AND I DON'T NEED HERS!" Poor Max and May were clueless as to what was going on. I'm sure they've never seen him act like this either.

"STOP MOPING AROUND AND GET OVER YOURSELF, ASH!" Brock yelled.

"WHAT?"

"What would Misty think about the way you're acting?" Brock asked, lowering his tone a bit. Well, Brock. If you want to know, Misty is furious and thinks Ash has finally lost it.

"I DON'T GIVE A DARN ABOUT THAT SCRAWNY RUNT!" Ash yelled. And to prove it he pulled out the lure I had given him from his backpack and set it on the table. "HERE! KEEP IT! I DON'T WANT IT!"

"ASH! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? I'M SICK OF YOUR BEHAVIOR! " Brock yelled, raising his voice again. "YOU'VE BEEN AN ABSOLUTE JERK TO HER! YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT PUSH HER OUT OF YOUR LIFE! IT'S OBVIOUS YOU LOVE HER! EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT YOU! SO JUST FORGET ABOUT YOUR STUPID PRIDE FOR ONCE AND ADMIT IT TO YOURSELF!"

Dead silence filled the room as Brock realized what he had said, letting a word of profanity slip through his mouth. Ash just stared at him, pain and anger written all over his face. "GOSH DARN IT BROCK!" he yelled, picking up the lure and throwing it towards Brock who had to duck to avoid getting hit. "I TRUSTED YOU!" And with that he ran out the door before anyone could say anything else.

"PSYCHO!" May yelled after him before she left the room, Max following behind her. "Remind me to beat him up later." Apparently she had a temper of her own.

Brock remained where he was not saying a word. Pikachu had bounded after Ash, but not before he glanced in my direction. Instead of the usual smirk he wore upon his face, he looked a bit distraught. He was torn between the concern he felt about me and for that of his trainer. In the end, though, his loyalty to Ash won out. Without saying a word, I walked over to where the lure had landed and stared at the shattered pieces that were scattered all over the place. Despite how hard I tried to fight it, I felt the tears sting my eyes threatening to fall down. Lacking the strength not to, I started crying, collecting the scattered pieces in my hand. To me all they represented was the shattered friendship I had with Ash. I had come on this journey to find out what they said about me when I wasn't around, and that's what I had gotten. I'd gotten just what I wanted, but not like I had hoped. I knew how Ash really felt about me. Just like my sisters had told me countless times, I was just a scrawny runt that nobody cared about.

"Maddie?" I heard Brock call. "Are you okay?" Shoot. He must have heard me crying.

"Yeah," I told him. Before I got up, I wiped the tears from my eyes and collected the remaining pieces of the lure. "I'm okay." And to convince him some more, I smiled a bit.

He frowned at me, probably noticing the tear stains on my cheeks. I couldn't tell him why I was upset. If I did, it would give away my whole plan. A plan that I had kept hidden really well over the past few months. "Okay."

"Here," I said, handing over the pieces of the lure.

He frowned at the pieces in my hand before taking them. "Misty would be devastated if she knew what happened to this. Especially what led to it," he commented. She already knew, Brock. She knew how much her best friend hated her.

"Well, I should probably go find him before he gets himself into more trouble," Brock sighed before getting up to leave.

"Brock, wait!" I yelled. He stopped where he was and turned back towards me. "Let me go." I knew it was going to be hard to face him, but I could do it as Maddie.

"Maddie-"

"He's mad at you and I doubt he'd talk to May or Max. Just let me try. I think I might know how to help him."

"Okay. If you need anything, call me. I'll get the number from May," he said, doing just that.

With May's home number plugged into my phone, I headed out to find Ash and try to get through to him. The only problem was I had no idea where to start looking.


	13. The Root of the Problem

Since we had just gotten to Petalburg today, I barely knew my way around the city, having no idea where anything was. Where could he have gone? If I didn't narrow down potential spots, I could be searching all day. After countless attempts to narrow down a spot, I finally was able to come up with an alternative plan. Sending out my Growlithe, I had her sniff for Pikachu's sent, which I knew was probably all over me. Within seconds, Growlithe had a trace and took off. She led me through the city and into the park that was pretty crowed. Now how was I going to find him? I followed Growlithe some more into a nearby forest where I spotted Ash sitting on a big boulder in a giant clearing. Recalling Growlithe, I thanked her for helping me and started walking towards him.

I tried to be as quiet as I could so that he wouldn't notice my presence and run away again. Before I reached him, though, I heard him say something. "Come to yell at me, too?" he asked. He wouldn't turn around, though.

"No. I just came to make sure you were still alive." I walked closer to him, still giving him some space.

"Well, I'm alive. You can go back now." Gee thanks, Ash.

"I can see that," I said, sarcasm evident in my voice. "Can I join you?"

"Whatever," he replied. I took that as a yes and sat myself next to him on the rock.

After I sat down, nobody said anything, the silence louder than the trees blowing in the wind. I had to think of something to talk about or my whole coming here would be pretty pointless. "I like your hat," I told him, deciding to talk about the million-postcard hat. "Where'd you get it?"

"I won it." Getting him to talk was becoming harder than training Psyduck.

"That's pretty neat. I've never won anything before." It was a lie, though, because I had won the Pokemon Princess Doll Set many years ago.

"I'm sorry." I was going to run out topics really soon.

"So what's Pallet town like? I've never been there before. I heard it's nice, though."

"It's small."

"Wow, that's really helpful. There's a lot of small towns. You ever been to Cherry Grove City? That's tiny."

"What else do you want me to say? It's Pallet Town. It's a quiet little town with a population of like 30 people tops. The only reason people know about it is because of Professor Oak. It's no Cerulean City." Finally, he said more than three words.

"You know? Cerulean's not as great as you think it is. It's finally now just starting to get a good reputation. Everyone used to make jokes about how the "Sensational Sisters" had destroyed the gym's reputation. They just gave away badges. All they cared about was being known for their beauty and water ballets. Nobody took Cerulean seriously" All on my own I had rebuilt the reputation of the Cerulean City gym.

"They tried to give me a badge," he told me.

"You didn't take it did you?" I asked.

"I almost did, but Misty showed up and challenged me. That's when I found out that she was from Cerulean City and that she lived at the gym." He had mentioned Misty, so we might be getting somewhere.

"Good."

Again, we fell into silence, Ash laying back on the boulder to stare at the sky. I didn't know really what to do, so I just copied him, folding my hands behind my head, resting them against the big boulder. I really needed him to start talking to me about what was bothering him. If he didn't soon, he would explode in a way even worse than what had just happened. Deciding I was no longer going to beat around the bush, I faced the problem head on.

"Scrawny runt, huh? Those are some pretty strong words," I commented.

"I.."

"You what, Ash? You didn't mean it? You weren't thinking straight when you said them? You really do feel that way? You have to give me some answers here, Ash."

"Why do I have to tell you anything?" he asked, getting a little angry.

"Because it's the only way I can help you."

"I don't need your help," he snapped.

"Liar."

"I'm not a liar! I don't need you. Just leave me alone!" he was starting to yell again.

"Gosh darn it, Ash! You dense idiot! Can't you see I'm trying to help you?" I yelled, saying the phrase he had yelled at me a long time ago. And with that I hoped off the rock and started to walk away.

I was almost out of earshot when I heard Ash yell, "Maddie, wait!" I paused and turned around to see him standing in front of the rock facing me. "Please don't leave."

As I walked back toward him, I could see he was trying so hard not to fall apart, but was slowly failing. By the time I had reached him, he had slid down the side of the rock, his head in his hands. I think, finally, after three years of keeping it all in, he was going to crack. I gingerly sat down beside him, letting the distraught Pikachu climb into my lap. Next to me Ash started shaking a bit, his body finally giving in to all the emotions he had been bottling up inside of him. I started rubbing his back to see if maybe that might help him calm down a bit. It helped a little bit, decreasing the severity of the shaking, but not as much as I hoped it would.

"Ash, please talk to me. I want to help you. I'll just listen if that's what you want," I told him. He raised his head form its resting place in his hands to look at me. His eyes were all red and puffy, tears still running down his face. Never had I seen Ash cry, leaving me a bit shocked at how much of a mess he looked.

"I hate myself," he said, looking at his feet. "I hate myself so much," he repeated before he started punching his leg, repeating the phrase over and over.

"Hey!" I yelled, grabbing his fist before he made impact again. "Beating yourself up isn't going to help anything."

"I don't care. I hate me so much."

"Why?"

"Because of what I did to her. How I treated her."

"Who?"

"Misty!" he yelled. "She hates me because of the way I treated her. She'll never forgive me for what I did. It's been three years and I can't take any of that back. And now she might come to watch the league and I can't even face her."

"Why did you ignore her phone calls and letters then?"

"Because all they would do was make me even sadder. If I blocked her out of my life completely, things would be easier for me to deal with."

"Do you even miss her Ash?" I miss you everyday, I thought in my head.

"I miss her so much. I think about her every day. I always wonder what she's doing, how the gym is going, how she looks now, things like that."

"If you missed her so much, why won't you visit her or let her visit you?" This was the question that I wanted to know the answer to most. Why he never made time to see me when he promised he would.

"Because I couldn't deal with her leaving again. I didn't want her to leave the first time. She promised me she would follow me until I paid her back for her bike. She wasn't supposed to leave without me paying her. If she came back or I visited her it would be even harder. So I just pushed here away, finding that was easier than dealing with the pain. I was doing really well, too until we ran into you. Everything about you-where you were from, where you worked, even a bit of your personality-reminded me of her. Then you called me Ashy Boy and everything came crashing back again. I started thinking about her and it only made me miss her more. I didn't want you to travel with us because of the impact you had on me. You made me think about her and I didn't want to. And then when you woke me up in the middle of the night, I was having a horrible nightmare. It was about the day she left. She was walking away when I begged her to come back. To not leave me. That I needed her. She just ignored me, though."

He had calmed down a bit, the shaking having subsided and the tears decreasing in amount. Now, though, he was left with the occasional hiccup.

"I'm sick of people leaving me. Everyone has. She's left, Brock's left, Tracy, May and Max. And you'll eventually leave me, too. They all go and find something better."

"Ash, I don't think that's what they're doing. Sometimes friends have to go away for numerous reasons. They can't stick around forever. Everyone has their own life that they need to live. That doesn't mean they're never coming back or that they've pushed you aside. Sometimes opportunities come up that we can't pass up or our responsibilities force us to deal with various things. In fact, I bet your mom doesn't think you left home because you thought Pokemon training was better than her. Instead, she knows that this is your dream and that you're going to follow it no matter what. She will always know you love her, and will eventually come home when you're ready."

"I guess," he sighed.

"Plus, you're a pretty amazing person, Ash. No matter what you may think about yourself. You're a great friend to your friends and a great trainer, too. Your friends and Pokemon really care about you and will do almost anything for you. I can tell. I've only known you for a few months and I already consider you a good friend. I'm really glad to have ran into you."

"I lost my best friend, though."

"You don't know that for sure." You didn't lose me, Ash. I'm right here. I've always been there. "If you could tell Misty anything Ash, what would you tell her?"

"I would tell her that I'm sorry for everything I did to her. She didn't deserve it. I would tell her that she's the best friend I've ever had and that I miss her everyday, and would do anything to spend one day with her again because I need her. I need her guidance, her assurance that everything's going to be okay in the end, and I need her to keep me in check. I'd make sure that she knows she's not a scrawny runt like her sister's say. That I think she's the most sensational of them all. Her fiery personality is incomparable just like her smile. That I love her eyes and think they are the prettiest eyes I've ever seen with their blue and green mixture. And most importantly, I would tell her that I love her and want her to be happy."

"That's great, Ash. She's a lucky girl to have you as a friend."

"I'm the lucky one," he corrected me. "I practically owe her my life. She's saved it so many times."

"You should eventually tell her that."

"Maybe one day," he sighed before standing up. "We should probably head back."

"Yeah, we should."

It was then that I realized I could never tell him the truth. That he could never know anything about my plan or who I really was. He had just poured his heart out to me thinking I was someone he could trust. If I were to go and tell him the truth about who I was, he would never forgive me. I also knew that I had to leave soon before there were any more close calls. I could reappear as Misty at the league, having replied to Brock's request, with the confidence to tell Ash about how I felt. Until then, though, I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew what I had to do. I had to be there for Ash. I had to be there for him as Maddie his new friend.


	14. Cheater, Cheater, Ketchup Eater

The next morning, with Max and May joining us, we caught a train out of Petalburg that would take us to a boat that would eventually take us to Ever Grand City where they were holding the league. Throughout the whole trip, you could cut the tension between Ash, Brock and May with a knife. May glared at him the entire time, still angry about his previous behavior while Brock didn't say anything to Ash, choosing to talk with the others instead. Later on, May started ranting about all the reasons why Ash needed to be evaluated for craziness. It was like walking on a minefield with them. One wrong move and someone might explode. I was betting on Brock being the next one to lose it based on the fact it was always the one you least suspected. Poor Max was getting the majority of his sister's anger, having taken it up himself to try and get her to calm down. I actually felt bad for him, knowing that all he wanted was for his friends to get along. We were supposed to be enjoying our time together, not mumbling insults under our breaths.

In case Brock and May's anger led them to start attacking Ash, Pikachu had hitched a ride on my shoulder, staying a safe distance away from the drama. From his perch on my shoulder, Pikachu observed his trainer with concern and worry. Ash hadn't said a word the entire trip, keeping to himself as he walked slowly behind May, Max and Brock. Bringing up the rear, Pikachu and I were able to keep an eye on everything that was going on in case anything broke out.

I think the train ride was even worse because nobody had anyway of escaping, which only increased the tension. Without actually saying so, May and Brock refused to sit with Ash, and Max wasn't about to make his sister mad. That left me to sit with him. Although I was no longer angry wit him, it was still hard for me to sit with him knowing what he had finally broken down and told me. I wanted more than anything to tell him that I cared for him just as much, but like I said, if I told him he would never forgive me.

"Want to play cards?" I asked him, trying to break the ice.

"No thanks. I think I'll take a nap," he said before curling up in a ball and closing his eyes. Great. Now I had nobody to talk to.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled, pointing at the cards.

"You want to play?" I asked him.  
>"Pi," he replied, nodding. When I set out on this journey, I never thought I would end up playing cards with Pikachu.<p>

"Do you know Go Fish?" I asked him. He nodded, so I started to deal out the cards. Then I realized, I wouldn't be able to translate what numbers he was asking for because I couldn't understand him. "Since I can't understand you, hold up the number of fingers that equals the card you want, okay?"

"Pika pi." I went first, asking Pikachu if he had any sevens, which he did not.

Next Pikachu held up four fingers, indicating he wanted a four, which unfortunately I did have. Getting to go again, Pikachu asked for a nine, forcing me to hand over my only nine. I wasn't off to a good start. Three cards later, I finally ended his streak when I told I didn't have a five. When it was my turn, I only managed to get a two from him before I had to draw from the deck. With five pairs to one, Pikachu was kicking my butt. How did he get to be so good at this game? In the next ten minutes, Pikachu wiped me out of all my cards, defeating me. I can't believe I lost to a Pokemon. This was rather pathetic.

"That's not fair, Pikachu," I told him. "Rematch!" Dealing out the cards again, Pikachu and I started another game.

Five games of Go Fish later, I had only won one. Being a pretty competitive person, I was not thrilled at these odds. I tried to get Pikachu to play me for a sixth time, but he curled up in Ash's lap to show he was done. I told him I would get him one day, but he just yawed and closed his eyes. Now I really had nobody to talk to. I looked over at Ash who was sound asleep, his head leaning against the window. He looked really peaceful when he was sleeping, curled up like that with Pikachu asleep in his lap. They truly were an inseparable pair.

After what seemed like forever, I finally heard him starting to wake up. "Hey! You're up. Finally. I was starting to get bored."

"Oh, hey. Sorry," he replied, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. He went to move when he saw Pikachu curled up in his lap. "Looks like the little guy was worn out."

"Yeah. Probably from beating me at Go Fish five times," I scoffed.

"Ha ha. You played Go Fish with him?" Ash asked, finding this very amusing.

"Yeah. I was really desperate," I explained. "He beat me, though."

"That's because Pikachu's a big cheater," he told me.

"How could have have possibly cheated?" I asked. I must have been rather oblivious to not notice.

"Using that," Ash said, pointing to something on the train. I turned around to see one of those mirrors you see in shopping malls that magnify whatever it's reflecting. Pikachu was using the mirror to see my cards! Dirty cheater! "He won't ever play unless he can cheat. I've learned that through many defeats."

"That little rat," I hissed. Ash just laughed and smiled.

"He's sneaky like that." I've noticed. He was manipulative, too. "He's also really good at getting away with things. He just acts adorable and he gets whatever he wants. Poor Misty fell for it all the time, and Pikachu was quick to pick up on that."

"What do you mean?" I had never noticed myself doing that before.

"Well, for starters, Pikachu would use Misty to get ketchup. I only gave him the ketchup for special treats so that he didn't go crazy. The only problem was he learned where I hid the ketchup in my backpack. When I would leave to go get firewood or run an errand for Brock, Pikachu would get the ketchup bottle out of my bag and take it to Misty so she would open it for him. I tried to explain to Misty, Pikachu's devious plan, but she just brushed me aside, claiming that Pikachu wasn't capable of a devious plot like that. Whenever he would shock her while trying to get her and I to stop arguing, he would apologize and act all adorable, always successfully getting Misty to forgive him instantly. In addition, he learned that if he watched Togepi for Misty or took care of it she would do pretty much anything for him. Buy him ketchup, let him sleep longer, let him travel with her, etc. Granted, he did enjoy playing with Togepi, but he knew that little egg was key to whatever he wanted. I actually started to believe he could convince her that anything was my fault, too."

Oh my, god. That little rat had played me since day one. He used me to get whatever he wanted when Ash wouldn't give him. I had always wondered why Pikachu would always insist on watching Togepi for me. I would owe him afterwards. And that ketchup trick! I had fallen for it every time.

"What is he, like, a super villain or something?"

"It wouldn't surprise me. He also blackmailed Misty. When Misty told him to do something he didn't want to, he would tell her that he would tell me if she made him do whatever it was. Of course she didn't understand what he was saying, but I did. I would say, "Tell me what?" and she would freak out and tell Pikachu to just forget whatever it was. Sometimes I even think Pikachu could run Team Rocket all by himself." It was true, Pikachu had blackmailed me into tell Ash things I never wanted him to no. And now, even when I wasn't even Misty, he had blackmailed me again.

"If I were Team Rocket, I would think twice about stealing him. He could be their downfall. But for now, I'm going to start thinking twice before I believe anything he says," I told Ash. He chuckled a bit and nodded in agreement.

Shortly after we stopped talking, we arrived at the station where we met up with the rest of our group. The fairy we were taking wasn't going to be there for three hours, so we had some time to kill. First we grabbed something to eat at a little sushi place. After that we stopped to get some ice cream. Ash and Brock got chocolate, I got Pistachio, May got cookie dough, Max ordered sherbet, and even Pikachu, got a little cone of vanilla. Of course, he had forced Ash to get him one after he tried to eat some of Ash's. Apparently Pikachu could manipulate Ash just as easily by annoying him. With the help of ice cream and some separation, May and Brock had calmed down and were able to talk to Ash without any risk of things getting out of hand. It seemed as if things were finally calming down.

After our ice cream, we headed to the Pokemon Center to rest for a little bit. Instead of Pikachu electrocuting Brock when he tried to hit on Nurse Joy, Max took it upon himself to pull Brock away by the ear. Hmm. It seemed I had a little protégé. I liked his technique, too. While at the center, Brock and Max talked about the upcoming league while May called her mom and Drew. As I sat down across from him, I noticed that Ash seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's on your mind?" I asked him.

"I'm thinking I might call Misty and invite her," he told me. WHAT?

"What?" Brock asked, not missing Ash's words.

"I'm going to call Misty and invite her to come watch. It's worth a shot, I guess." I watched as he walked over to the videophones, my heart beating a mile a minute. He can't call! NO! NO! NO! SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT!

I raced over in case I needed to intervene, getting there just as Ash was hitting the call button. As I looked at the number he was dialing, my heart rate slowed down a bit, noticing that he was calling the gym. Phew. I had a better chance of getting out of this one.

"Like, hi! You've, liked, reached the Cerulean City Gym. This is, like, Daisy. How can I help you?" My sisters always drove me crazy with their obnoxious use of the word like.

"Hi, Daisy. This is Ash. Can I talk to Misty?" he asked. I saw Daisy look at me, instantly recognizing me. Please don't blow my cover, Daisy, I prayed. Please.

"I'm like, sorry, Ash. She's not here." What was she doing?

"Where is she?" he asked. If she said next to you, I was going to punch the screen.

"She's, like, at the Seafoam Islands or something. She's doing some, like, intense water Pokemon training thing." Woah! Good lie, Daisy. I had to give her props for that one.

"How long is she going to be there?" he asked.

"She's, like, been gone for a few months already. I think she said she was, like, going to be gone for almost a year or something."

"A whole year?" Ash asked, not believing it. He looked really sad.

"Like, yeah." Wow, Daisy.

"Does she have a cell phone number I can call?" he asked. Oh no...

"Yeah, but nobody can get, like, a hold of her. She, like, doesn't get service, so there's, like, no point." Woah! My sister was better at this lying stuff than me.

"Oh."

"Like, sorry, Ash. Did you need to tell her something?"

"Just tell her that, if she's able, I'm inviting her to come watch me at the championships in Hoenn. I understand if she can't make it, though."

Okay! Well, I, like got to go. We have, like, a challenger I think," Daisy explained.

"Okay. Thanks, Daisy."

"Like, no problem, Ash. Good luck!" Then she hung up, leaving Ash's reflection on the blank screen. I didn't even have to do anything.

"Oh well," he sighed before getting up and heading back to where everyone else was.

"What'd she say?" Brock asked, eager to hear the results of Ash's phone call.

"She wasn't there."

"What?" Brock asked, confused.

"She's training in the Seafoam Islands. Daisy said she's been gone for a few months already and may be gone as long as a year. They have no way of contacting her either."

"I'm sorry, Ash," Brock said, trying to comfort him.

"Don't worry about it. It's my fault anyway." Brock frowned at him for a few seconds before turning to look at the clock.

As we were standing in the center, it was then and there that I realized the important decision I had to make. It was one of those decisions where your next move could change everything. Realizing what I had to do, I slipped away to make a phone call.


	15. A Change in the Plan

"Professor Oak's lab. This is Tracy speaking," I heard Tracy announce.

"Hi, Tracy. This is Misty. Is Gary there?" I asked. Before I had left, Tracy had stopped by the gym to drop a few things off. While he was there, he had mentioned that Gary had returned home to help his grandfather run the lab.

"Yeah. One second." He set the phone down and went to get Gary.

After a minute or two, Gary's face popped up on the screen. "Hey there, Red," he said, using the nickname I despised.

"Don't call me that," I snapped.

"Now that's not the way you treat someone who you need help from, now is it?" He said, using that stupid smirk I hated so much. "What'd you do with your hair? Now I can't call you Red anymore."

"Nothing. Can I borrow your Arcanine?" I asked him.

"Why?" he asked, very skeptically.

"I need its teleport ability." I had also heard from Tracy that Gary had used a TM to teach his Arcanine teleport.

"Why?" he repeated.

"Please Gary! I promise to take good care of him and to return him safely in exactly one week from today," I promised him. "Pretty, pretty please? I would ask somebody else, but I don't know anybody else who has an Arcanine as strong as yours." I even batted my eyelashes for extra effect. I was sinking to an all-new low by asking Gary for help, but it would all be worth it in the end.

"It appears as if you have found my weakness, Red. When do you need him?" he asked. YES! Misty used charm and it was super effective!

"Now."

"Now? Sheesh, Red. You don't plan ahead very well. Give me ten minutes and I'll have him sent to you. Where are you?"

"I'm in Lillycove."

"Lillycove? What the heck are you doing in Hoenn?" he asked.

"Nothing. I've got to go. I expect Arcanine in ten minutes."

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. See ya, Red."

"Thanks! You're the best, Gary!" I added to boost his ego for my benefit.

"I know," he said, very sure of himself.

I hung up the phone my plan in full swing. It was going to be my greatest plan yet. Even better, everything was going just as I had hoped it would. That is, until I turned around to see May standing there.

"Why were you talking to Gary?" she asked, really confused. How long had she been standing there? Crap! Crap! Crap! What was I going to do. I couldn't lie to her. She probably heard everything.

"I.." I stuttered, but I was at lost for words.

"Oh my god!" she gasped, putting the pieces together. "You're..you're really her, aren't you?" she asked, her hand hovering over her mouth in shock. "You're Misty."

"Please don't tell," I begged her.

"I won't," she sighed before walking over to me. "Just tell me why."

As weird as it sounded, I was happy it was her who had caught me and not someone else-especially Ash. She could probably understand why I did what I did better than anyone here, and that's all I needed: someone to understand me.

"It was the only way," I told her.

"What was?" she asked. "I promise I won't judge you or say anything."

"It was the only way to see Ash. He hadn't visited me, or returned any of my phone calls or letters in three years. I missed him and I knew he wouldn't want me to return. So I concocted this plan of disguising myself and joining him and Brock just like the old times. I would find out why Ash was acting this way and what they really thought of me. I was doing really well up until now."

"Sorry," she apologized, realizing she was the one who had ruined my plan. "Although, it was kind of a drastic plan, but I understand why you did it. If I was that creative and devious, I might have done the same thing."

"Don't worry about it," I told her. It wasn't her fault. "And thanks. That means a lot."

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to leave for a little bit and then come back in time for the tournament."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure. I need to do this. I promise I'll be back, though. In the meantime, you can't say anything to Ash. He can't find out. He'll never forgive me if he does."

"Okay. I promise."

"Thanks, May." I truly was grateful to her.

"Your welcome." She stood up to leave, but paused as another thought came into her mind. "For what it's worth, I think you should tell him sometime. If he cares about you as much as I think he does, then he'll forgive you. In fact, I think he'd even understand."

Without saying another word, she left and I headed over to get Gary's Arcanine. Just like he promised, Arcanine's pokeball was sitting there waiting for me. Grabbing it, I turned around and returned to the main lobby. When I got there, they were all waiting for me because we had to leave to go catch the boat.

"Come on, Maddie," Brock called. "We need to go."

"I'm not going," I told him.

"You're what?" Ash asked, stopping where he was to turn around and face me.

"I'm not going. At least, not right now. There is something I need to do first."

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"It's personal. I promise that I will be back in time for your match, though. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You sure?" he asked. "Can't it wait until after?" Unlike when I had first met him, he didn't want me to leave.

"Unfortunately, no. I really need to take care of this. Like I said, though. I'll return before you know it."

"Okay," he sighed. "Goodbye, Maddie. See you soon. I hope you solve whatever it is."

"Thanks, Ash. Train hard," I told him as I waved goodbye, watching them walk out the door.

When I was sure they couldn't see me anymore, I let Arcanine out. "Okay, Arcanine. Take me to Pallet Town." Within seconds, we left the center and arrived at the edge of Pallet Town.


	16. You're Crazy, Red

Following the path I almost knew by heart, I found myself standing in front of a white fence attached to a white picket fence. Taking a deep breath, I walked down the path and up to the front door before I knocked.

"Coming!" I heard someone on the other side yell. I stood still waiting for them to answer the door, freaking out inside. When the door opened, Ms. Ketchum was standing behind it a confused look on her face. "Maddie?" she asked. "What are you doing here? Is Ash here, too?"

"No, it's just me." I told her. "May I come in?"

"Of course! Of course!" she replied, stepping aside so I could walk in. "Would you like something to drink dear?"

"Not thanks. I'm okay," I replied. I followed her into the kitchen where, despite my opposition, she poured me a glass of water. I sat down at the kitchen table, taking deep breaths, freaking out for no apparent reason.

"Does Ash know you're here, sweetie?" she asked. I think she really was hoping he was here.

"No."

"Oh. Okay." She stood there looking at me, trying to figure our what I was doing here all by myself. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She had pulled out the chair across from me and was now sitting on it, her hands folded neatly on the table.

"He doesn't know a lot of things," I told her.

"What do you mean, Maddie?" she asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"I'm not-" I began, but was cut off by the doorbell.

"I'm so sorry. I'll be right back," Ms. Ketchum apologized before getting up to get the door. I heard her open the door and then talk to whoever was there for a bit. I then heard her shut the door and walk back toward the kitchen, another pair of footsteps accompanying her.

"Red?" I heard an all to familiar voice call. "I thought you were in Hoenn?" It was Gary Oak, the last person I had wanted to see.

"Red? Who's that?" Ms. Ketchum asked. "I think you might be mistaken, Gary. This is Ash's new friend Maddie. She's been traveling with him for the past few months."

"Has she now?" Gary asked, smirking as he solved the mystery of why I had been in Hoenn.

"Yes. That's what I said, right?" Ms. Ketchum asked, turning toward me for confirmation. Poor Ms. Ketchum was completely out of the loop.

"Right," I told her.

"I thought so. I must be getting old," she sighed in annoyance. "Well, I have to run to the store. I forgot to grab what Gary needed. Can you two hold down the fort while I'm gone?"

"Sure thing Ms. K," Gary assured her.

"Thank you. I should be back in twenty minutes." After calling Mimey to join her, she rushed out the door.

"Lying to old ladies now, Red?" Gary asked, sitting down and jumping right into a conversation.

"Can it, Oak. I don't need crap from you," I snapped. I was not going to sit here. "And Ms. Ketchum isn't that old."

"So that's how you're going to treat me after I lent you one of my prized Pokemon?" he asked. I just rolled my eyes at him.

"I don't have to be nice to you."

He just ignored my comment and bounced right along in his questioning. "So, Red. What are you doing back here in Pallet? Ashy boy figure out who you really were and kick you out?" Wow. He had no problem jumping to conclusions.

"No. I told him I had to leave and would be back next week. Why do you care?"

"Oh, I don't care," he told me. "I just find this whole thing amusing." Ugh. Typical Gary Oak answer.

"Oh good. I'm glad my life is amusing to you."

"It is," he confirmed. "So why'd you do it, Red? Why pretend to be someone else and follow him all the way to Hoenn?"

"You wouldn't understand." He would just laugh at me.

"You don't know that. You haven't even given me a chance," he said. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I really hadn't ever given him a chance. But I don't know if I was willing to start now with such a major secret. "I know about the phone calls and letters if that's what you're worried about. I know Ash hasn't contacted you in three years, Red. Annnnnd, I happen to know that you're in love with that loser. It's the why that confuses me."

"Fine," I sighed, giving in. I was starting to wonder how many times I would have to explain this. I knew for sure at least one more when I told Ms. Ketchum the truth. "As you know, I hadn't heard from him in a long time. I just missed him a lot. He had promised me that we would stay in touch but he never did. I knew that if I had asked him if I could travel with me he would say no. That is, if he even answered me. So I concocted this plan of disguising myself and running into to him, hoping I could get him to let me tag along."

"And if he didn't?" Gary asked, disregarding the important parts.

"I don't know. I considered paying Pikachu to destroy a bike I would claim to be mine so I could tell Ash I was going to follow him until he bought me a new one."

"You're crazy, Red. Who thinks of and then does crazy shit like that? Trust me, there was a much easier way."

"You don't say?"

"You could have called me and explained everything. I would have hunted him down and kicked his ass all the way back to Pallet."

"How very noble of you, Gary."

"I try, Red. I try." He was about to ask me another question when we heard the phone ring.

"You answer it," I told him. I wasn't answering the phone just to be safe.

"Fine," he grumbled. I followed behind him, hiding behind the wall so I could hear whoever was calling but not be seen.

"I want to hear," I explained after he started giving me weird looks. He just rolled his eyes.

"Oh, hi ASH," he said, annunciating Ash's name to make sure I knew who was calling. Shoot. Gary was going to ruin it for me. He was just that kind of person. He did say that he gained amusement from my embarrassment and failures.

"What are you doing in my house, Gary?" I heard Ash ask.

"I stopped by," he stated very casually.

"Where's my mom?" Ash demanded to know.

"She ran to the store, but I would be more than happy to take your message," Gary told him.

"Like I'd tell you." No matter how old they were, Ash and Gary would never get along. Gary kept glancing in my direction, trying to see how I was reacting to the phone call. "What are you looking at Gary?"

"I'm cooking something and I want to make sure it doesn't catch on fire," he lied. Wow. He had lied for me. Maybe he did have a heart after all.

"You're burning my house down?" Ash asked, yelling loud enough to cause Gary to hold the receiver away from his ear. It even hurt my ears a little bit.

"Jesus Christ, Ash! Calm down. Why would I burn your house down?"

"Good"

"I'm back!" Ms. Ketchum called, walking through the front door.

"Is that my mom?" Ash asked, suddenly perking up.

"Nope. Sorry, Ash. Got to go!" Gary said, rushing his words before Ms. Ketchum got to the phone.

"GARY!" Ash yelled, but he was cut off when Gary hung up the phone.

"Was somebody on the phone?" Ms. Ketchum asked.

"Just a telemarketer," Gary lied.

"Oh, okay. Well I have the supplies you needed," she told Gary as she left to go get them.

"Thank you very much, Ms. K. I think I'm going to head out now. It was nice meeting you, Maddie," he added, winking at me. Ugh. He made me want to gag sometimes.

"Goodbye Gary."

Gary left leaving me alone with Ms. Ketchum again. I watched as she made herself a cup of tea and sat back down at the table. "Now where were we?" she asked, implying she wanted to finish the conversation we were having before.

I sighed in defeat before sitting down in the chair across from her. This was going to be hard, but it needed to be done. "Ms. Ketchum, I need to tell you something."

"I'm all-ears, dear. You talk and I'll listen," she assured me.

"I haven't been truthful with you these past couple months. For starters, my name isn't Maddie," I said, beginning the unraveling of my web of lies.

"It isn't? What is it dear?" she asked. Surprisingly, she didn't seem mad.

"Ms. Ketchum, it's me Misty."

"Misty?" she asked, her mouth open in an "o" shape. "But how's that possible? I talked to Misty a few months ago."

"I disguised myself as a girl name Maddie, and met up with Ash and Brock. I've been traveling with them ever since they got to Slateport. Ash doesn't know who I really am. He still thinks I'm Maddie. I told him that I had to leave to go do something and that I would be back next week. I came here because I didn't know where else to go."

"Oh, Misty.."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Ketchum. I didn't mean to lie to you. I just didn't know what else to do. He wouldn't return any of my letters or phone calls. I just missed him so much and wanted to see him." I think she could at least understand that.

"Misty, dear. I'm not mad at you and I forgive you for lying to me. I'm just worried about you. Are you okay?" Leave it Ms. Ketchum to be unselfish and worry about me.

"I don't know. A few days ago, he lost it and went crazy yelling at everyone. I followed him to make sure he was okay. I finally got him to talk to me and he just broke down. He told me everything about why he had pushed me away. Now that I know all that, I don't know how to face him. He told me he loved me, Ms. Ketchum. Now all I can think about is how much he's going to hate me if he were to ever find out."

"Misty, look at me," Ms. Ketchum said, covering my hands in her own. "Ash could never hate you. He cares about you too much, and he'll eventually forgive you. And I assure you that if he does anything to hurt you, he will be answering to his mother. I can't prevent him from getting mad if that happens, but I will not allow him to push you out of his life again. You and Brock are the best things that have happened to him and you have done a great job of taking care of him for me. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you Ms. Ketchum. I appreciate everything."

"What do you plan on doing about the league?" she asked.

"I told Ash I would be back next week in time for his battle. I plan on going as my true self, though. It's time I faced him as Misty."

"Sounds like a plan. Now how about you get cleaned up and I fix us some dinner. I can even invite Professor Oak and Tracey over if you'd like."

"Sure. That sounds good."

"Oh, Misty!"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, dear." I knew I could always count on Ms. Ketchum.


	17. When In Doubt, Make A Really Cool Sign

For the rest of the week, I stayed close to Ms. Ketchum's house, avoiding the lab in case Ash called. As the days got closer to the big league championship, I started to get nervous. How would Ash react when he saw me as Misty? Would he ask about Maddie? Would he put the two together? It was all swarming through my head, keeping me up at night. On the day before we planned to leave, I finally took out the contacts that had once hid my blue green eyes, and with the help of Ms. Ketchum, I had found a little salon in Pallet where I could have my hair returned to its normal fiery red.

As I stood in front of the mirror looking at my old self, I was a little sad to have to say goodbye to Maddie. I had surprised myself in how long I was able to keep my secret hidden from Ash despite the dreadful first day where Pikachu almost blew it for me. Although things hadn't gone exactly according to plan, I had learned a lot about myself and about Ash through the process. I had achieved my goal of getting to be with Ash and finding out how he really felt about me. It was as if I had seen a whole new side of him I had known nothing about before. The side that wanted nothing more than to help me, make me laugh and enjoy my friendship. It was that side that showed me I could let go every once and a while and ask for help when I needed it. Not everyone was out to get me-maybe with the exception of Pikachu- because there were people who actually cared about me. And I will definitely admit that all in all, it was pretty fun to pretend to be someone else.

The next day, Gary came over so that we could all go to the championship together. We were taking his Arcanine, seeing as it was the cheapest and quickest way to get there. In addition, Ms. Ketchum could come back home if something came up. It was just going to me, Ms. Ketchum and Gary since Tracey and Professor Oak had to stay behind and run the lab. I didn't particularly like having to be around Gary, but I could adjust. When everyone was ready, Gary commanded Arcanine to use teleport. When we arrived in front of the stadium entrance, we purchased our tickets and then went to find the others. I was still nervous about seeing Ash, so I told Gary and Ms. Ketchum that I would meet up with them later in front of the ice cream shop. With their acknowledgement, I was able to disappear right before Ash, May, Max and Brock showed up.

After a nice walk around the town, I headed back to the stadium figuring Ash was getting prepared for his upcoming battle by now. When I reached the ice cream shop, I saw Gary and Ms. Ketchum waiting for me enjoying some ice cream of their own.

"About time you showed up. I was starting to worry about you, Red. I wouldn't want Ashy boy's number one fan to be MIA," he teased. He wasn't as funny as he thought he was.

"Har Har," I replied, unamused. "Let's get going."

"Okay, Red," Gary replied getting up to follow me.

We were just about to enter the stadium when I remembered I had forgotten something important at the house. "Gary! Quick, I need Arcanine," I yelled.

"What? Why?"

"I forgot something at the Ketchum's. And it's really important that I go get it."

"Whatever, Red. You're going to miss the match," he added as he handed over his Pokemon.

"Don't worry! I'll be back before you know it."

"Be careful, dear!" Ms. Ketchum called before I disappeared.

When I reached the Ketchum's house, I raced into the family room where I remembered I had last placed what I needed. Seeing the item sitting on the table where I left it, I picked it up and smiled. Racing back outside, making sure to lock the door behind me, I commanded Arcanine to teleport me back to the stadium.

When I arrived, I was cutting it pretty close with the match starting in five minutes. Faster than I think I've ever ran before, I ran to the entrance and gave the man my ticket.

"I'm sorry, miss," he said. "I can't let you in. The match starts soon."

"What?" I asked him. "But it doesn't start for five minutes!"

"The doors close ten minutes before the match starts," he explained. "I'm really sorry. You can go to the place next door and watch it on a T.V .

"Please, sir. You have to let me in." There was no way I was going to travel all this way just to be shut out by some bald guy. "My BEST friend is about to battle and I need to be there for him." Maybe, if I gave him a good sob story he would let me in.

"I'm sorry, miss. Rules are rules. I can't let you in." AGH! This is not what I needed right now.

"Do you know who I am?" I challenged him. "I'm the leader of the Cerulean City Gym." Maybe my status as gym leader could let me in.

"I don't care." What was his problem?

"I'll give you $20," I said, trying to bribe him. I was willing to try almost anything.

"Not going to work little girl," he told me.

Just then a man with an official Pokemon league badge walked over. "Let her go see her friend, Chris," he told the man.

"But, George, we have rules, " Chris reminded him.

"Yeah, but this is a special case. See? She even made a sign," he added, pointing to the sign I was holding in my hand.

"Fine," Chris grumbled before taking my ticket and letting me in.

"Thank you!" I called over my shoulder as I ran to find my seat.

Just as I was reaching the section everyone was seated in, the announcer's voice was heard through the stadium as he announced the competitors. There was a boy from Lillycove whom the crowd went nuts over. When Ash's name was announced, people cheered out of courtesy, but it wasn't as loud as the cheers the boy had received. Regardless, Brock, Gary and May tried to make up for the difference by cheering for Ash as loud as they could, inadvertently helping me locate them.

"Hey there, Red! Glad you showed up. I was starting to wonder if you were going to make it," Gary greeted me.

"Misty?" Brock asked, shocked beyond belief to see me standing there. I was probably the last person he was expecting.

"Ta-da!" I said, striking a pose to lighten up the mood.

"Misty?" May asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Hi, May," I greeted her in return. I'm sure she would ask me about it later.

"Keep your loud mouth shut, Red," Gary, hissed. "You're little boyfriend's battle is about to start."

"He's not my-"

"Shh!" everyone around me hissed. Whoops.

Sitting quietly and cheering at appropriate times, I watched Ash as his Pokemon defeated his opponent's first two. It seemed as if he off to a pretty good start. Knocking out another two, the score was two to four in Ash's favor. His opponents next Pokemon was a bit more difficult and took out one of Ash's pokemon, knocking him down to three. Thankfully, with his next Pokemon he was able to overcome the difficulties and leave his opponent with one Pokemon. By now the majority of the crowd had died down in their cheering for the other kid. He he he, I thought. Take that stupid crowd. He was going to win! He was actually going to win. I even had my sign out that said, "GO ASH! YOU CAN DO IT!", which I waved with exuberance in front of my face so he couldn't see me. Because he's that nice, Gary kindly reminded me of how he thought I was crazy for having made a sign and how I was embarrassing them.

I think I started celebrating too early, though, because when his opponent sent out his Dragonite, things just went down hill fast. In a short period of time, Dragonite was able to knock out Ash's next two pokemon, forcing an even tie. Having the confidence he could do well, Ash sent out Pikachu, the potential for victory in his hands. Ash commanded Pikachu to try a few electric attacks, which Dragonite easily avoided. I could tell Pikachu was starting to get worn out and tired from taking so many attacks from Dragonite. Even Ash was panicking a bit. And that's when I cracked.

"ASH KETCHUM!" I yelled as loud as I could. I must have caught his attention because he turned towards us at the sound of his name. I'm not exaggerating when I say that his eyes pretty much popped out of his head. I couldn't hear him very well, but I'm pretty sure he said something similar to a, "Mmmmmiiisstty?" with lots of stutters. "YOU BIG, DENSE IDIOT! USE YOUR BRAIN! THIS IS JUST LIKE WHEN YOU BATTLED FOR THE ORANGE ISLAND TROPHY! USE THAT STRATEGY! I DIDN'T COME ALL THIS WAY OR SPEND THREE HOURS ON A SIGN TO SEE YOU LOSE!" Satisfied with my outburst, I returned to watching the match, while everyone around me tried to pretend they didn't know me. Ash nodded in my direction, before he returned to the battle where he commanded Pikachu to use agility.

"You're officially psycho, Red," Gary told me. "Did you really spend three hours on that sign?"

"What? Ha. No," I laughed. "I just said that to make him feel guilty."

"Manipulative, too, I see."

Successfully on top of Dragonite's head, Pikachu delivered a final thunder shock, rendering the pokemon defenseless. With a loud thud, Dragonite fell to the floor, failing to get back up. Ash was declared the winner and everyone went nuts. Our section was the loudest of course. Pikachu rushed across the field and into Ash's awaiting arms where they shared a celebratory hug. While everyone around me was cheering, I watched Ash, smiling at the scene before me. Setting Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash turned to look at me, unreadable emotions on his face. I couldn't tell if he was happy to see me, confused or mad that I had showed up. Trying to make the moment less tense, I held up my sign and did a little celebratory dance of my own, which caused him to shake his head and laugh, a small smile on his face. I knew I could always make him smile. It wasn't a happy ending yet, though. I had a lot of explaining to do.


	18. Way to Go, Gary

After the match, I waited in line while everyone congratulated Ash on his victory with hugs and handshakes. Bringing up the rear, I was the last one to congratulate him, everyone having left saying to meet them at the hotel later.

"Hi, Ash," I said, not really know what else to say. "You did really great today. I'm really proud of you. In fact, I may even let you have my sign." Despite my attempts, he didn't laugh or smile.

He just started at me, a blank expression on his face. What I would pay to know what he was thinking about right now. Just as I was about to ask him if he was okay, he pulled me forward into a very tight hug. "I've missed you so much."

Not sure how to respond, I slowly wrapped my arms around him, but not as tight. "I've missed you, too, Ash. But, I'm here now and that's what matters."

He let go of me and stepped back to face me again. "Yeah. You're here now," he said, as if to convince himself that in fact, I was standing in front of him. "But how? I called your sister and she said you were in the Seafoam Islands and that you wouldn't return for almost a year."

"Your friend Maddie," I told him, telling my final lie in this before I put the Maddie character to rest. Or at least, one of my last couple lies. "She tracked me down on the Seafoam Islands and told me that you had called to invite me. She told me that you really wanted me there and that I needed to be there for you. So, starting almost a week ago, I started taking ferries, trains, even Pokemon just to get here in time. I almost didn't make it, though because some guy was being a jerk and wouldn't let me in."

"But if she went to get you, where is she?" he asked. "She promised me she would be back in time to watch my match."

"Ash. Maddie's not here, and she's not coming back."

"What do you mean she's not coming back?" he asked, confused.

"She went back to Cerulean. I don't know why, though. She wouldn't say."

"Oh," he said, sitting down on the bench nearby. This was a lot for him to handle. "So that's why she left last week. To go get you."

"Yeah. That's why."

Just then none other than Gary Oak walked up. "Hey, Ashy boy. What are you and Red up to? Finally admitting how you two feel about each other?"

"What?" Ash asked. "No."

"Oh. Then she must have told you her big secret." I can't believe he just said that.

"Her what?" Ash asked, very hesitant in his words.

Looking at me, Gary saw the anger written all over my face. It was then he realized that he had just made a huge mistake. "Nothing, Ash. It's nothing," he said trying to backtrack.

"No it's not, Gary. What's going on?" he demanded, looking back and forth between the two of us. "Are you two dating?"

"What?" I gasped. "No way!"

"Me and Red? Ha ha. Good one, Ash," Gary laughed. "Well, I'm going to go check on the others. I'll see you two later. We're now at the café down the street." He was leaving me to fend for myself after he had just blurted my secret. I hated him.

"No!" Ash shouted, forcing Gary to turn back around. "You are going to stay here and tell me what's going on."

"Ash, it's really not a big deal," Gary explained, trying to get him to drop it.

"Tell me!" he shouted, chocking on his words.

I stood where I was, unable to get myself to say anything. I had done so well at keeping my plan a secret from Ash, and now I had to watch as everything crumble to pieces because of Gary's big mouth. Ash was standing up now, glaring at Gary, refusing to let him go until he explained what he was talking about. Gary sighed in defeat before he finally gave in and told Ash the truth. "Misty was never in the Seafoam Islands, Ash."

"Then where was she?"

"With you."

"What? That's not possible."

"It's possible if she disguised herself as a girl named Maddie and tricked you into believing that's who she was."

I watched as the glare on Ash's face disappeared and he turned to look at me, hurt evident in his face. "Is that true, Misty?" he asked, barely above a whisper. "Please tell me it's not true."

"It's true."

"It was you the whole time? You LIED to me the entire time?" Just by staring at the ground and not saying anything, Ash was able to connect the dots and answer the question for himself. "That means... That day in the forest! You were there! And I. . . I told you everything." His voice was getting really shaky, and his sentences incoherent, as he remembered everything that happened that he had never wanted me to find out about. "And...and then when I freaked out...and threw the lure. . .you were there! Misty I didn't mean any of it! I'm sorry!" It was like watching a flashback in a movie while someone was having an internal battle with themselves at the same time. He kept bouncing back and forth between each mistake he had made.

"I know you didn't, Ash."

"You.. you.. GOD DAMN IT, MISTY! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?" he yelled before he ran away.

"Ash, wait!" I called after him. "I'm sorry," I added barely above a whisper. It was no use. He couldn't hear me and I don't think he would ever talk to me again.

The silence that followed was almost unbearable. I wanted more than anything to rewind and stop Gary from saying anything. "I'm really sorry, Misty," Gary apologized, breaking the silence.

"You idiot!" I snapped at him, my anger bubbling over. "You had to go and open your big mouth, didn't you? Didn't you! Just so you could get the satisfaction of knowing you had blown my cover and watched me crash and burn for your amusement!" I was ready to start crying, but I would never cry in front of Gary. Instead, I released Arcanine so I could get out of there.

"Misty-"

"I don't want to hear it! You've done enough, Gary." Before he could say anything else, I teleported out of there and to the first place I thought of.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the river flowing in front of me, surround by numerous trees. This wasn't just any river, though. This river had a special place in my heart. It had been where I had made my greatest catch of all time. Kicking my shoes off, I went and sat by the river's edge, dipping my feet into the cool water. As much as I hated to admit it, I would probably never see Ash again after this. There was no way he would talk to me anytime soon. This time, though, it was my fault and not his.

Arcanine, having slowly grown attached to me over the past week, sat beside me and let me use him as a pillow. He was extremely soft thanks to Gary's routine upkeep of the pokemon's fur. Suddenly, though, I fell backwards, my pillow having disappeared. Looking around, I couldn't find Arcanine anywhere. Where had he gone? Gary would kill me if he found out I had lost his prized pokemon. Although, it wasn't my fault since Arcanine had disappeared on his own. Within a minute or two, Arcanine returned only to teleport away again. This time, though, when he disappeared, a piece of paper fell to the ground where he had once been standing. Picking it up, I carefully read the letter.

_Red,_

_I told Brock everything and now he and I are going to go talk some sense into Ash. I want you to know now that if your little, loser boyfriend looks a bit roughed up when you see him, that it was necessary and Brock and I will not be held responsible. I took my Arcanine back and expect to get his pokeball back as well. Sit tight for now, Red. _

_Gary_

_P.S. You owe me big time, Red. _

Holy cow. What were they going to do to him? Can't be held responsible? What exactly was that supposed to mean? Was Ash going to come back on crutches? I sure hoped not. Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do since I didn't know where he was, and there was no way I could get to Hoenn in the next 5 minutes. So, just like Gary had told me to, I sat tight and waited for further news.


	19. Everybody Hates Me 'Cause I'm Gary Oak!

****NOTE: FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHAPTER AND FOR SOME UNDERSTANDING, THIS CHAPTER (AND ONLY THIS CHAPTER) WILL BE WRITTEN FROM GARY'S PERSPECTIVE!*****

"Arcanine!" I yelled. "Can you take us to where Ash is?" At the sound of my command, Arcanine took us from outside the café to the bottom of a big oak tree.

At first, I wasn't quite sure where Arcanine had taken us, thinking he might have possibly made a mistake about Ash's location. It was when I heard Brock yell that I figured out just exactly where Ash was.

"Hey Mankey!" Brock yelled. "Come down from that tree!"

Stupid trees. I had always hated them as a kid because I could never climb them like Ash could. Nobody could and he knew that. He would always use them to hide from people, such as his mother when he was in trouble. I heard rustling as Ash turned around to see who was yelling at him.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, clearly unhappy to see us.

"That's no way to greet someone. Didn't your mom ever teach you manners," I teased him.

"Shut up, Gary. I don't want to talk to you." He had always been a moody one that Ash.

"Can you please come down, Ash? We need to talk to you about something important," Brock explained.

"Yeah right." He continued to sit in the tree refusing to come down.

"Fine then, Ash. Have it your way. You leave me with no choice. Arcanine, head but that tree!" I yelled.

"Gary!" Brock yelled, freaking out. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, I warned her." So he had a few scratches? No big deal.

When Arcanine head butted the tree, it started to shake, causing Ash to lose his balance and slip through the branches. Just before he hit the ground, though, Arcanine broke his fall. After he had recovered from his traumatic fall, Ash turned toward me and started yelling a string of curse words as he threw his hands in the air and stomped his feet.

"It appears as if the wild Mankey is using thrash," I said, trying to add some humor.

"GAH! What are you doing here, Gary?" Ash asked.

"We're here to talk to you," Brock said.

"About what?"

"Misty."

"I don't want to talk about her. Leave me alone." I knew it wouldn't be that easy to get him to talk. He always had to make things difficult.

"Too bad. You don't have a choice."

"What?" Ash asked.

"You heard him," Brock said, finally joining my side. "You're going to talk even if we have to make you."

"Ha. Yeah, right," Ash laughed, blowing us off.

Before he could try and run away, Arcanine blocked his path, allowing Brock and I to grab him from behind. He started flailing, kicking his feet and throwing punches to get free. I hated to admit it, but he was putting up a good fight. Despite Ash's efforts and shouts of, "let me go", Brock and I overpowered him and managed to carry him over to the tree where we tied him up.

"We told you that you had no choice," I said.

"I swear to god, Gary, when I get out here I'm going to kick your butt all the way back to Pallet Town."

"Ooo. Big words coming from such a scrawny little kid." Not having a comeback, he just flailed his legs in an attempt to kick me.

"Now, you can either be nice and talk to us or you can have it your way," I threatened him.

"I'll have it my way. I'm not going to talk to you. Especially about Misty." He wasn't giving in.

"Okay then, Ashy boy. I think I'll be taking this," I told him as I stole his prized hat from his head.

"Hey! Give that back!" he yelled, trying to kick me again.

"No way, Ash. I'm starting to understand why Red likes you. You're just as violent and stubborn as she is."

"Her name's Misty. Not Red!" he yelled.

"Standing up for you're little girlfriend I see?" I guess no matter how mad he was at her, he would still stand up for her.

"She's not my girlfriend," he hissed. "I don't even like her that way."

"Well that's probably the biggest lie I've heard this whole year. Don't you agree, Brock?"

"You suck at lying, Ash."

"Now I think that your little girlfriend might enjoy this hat. What do you say, Brock?"

"She'd love it. In fact, I think I might have nice picture to send with it, too," Brock said as he opened his bag and began searching for the picture. "Here we go! I've been saving this one for a while. I was planning on using it as blackmail, but never got around to it."

"Even better," I agreed as Brock handed over the picture for me to examine. It was definitely taken without Ash and Misty knowing. In the picture, a younger version of Misty was asleep with her leaned against a window and her one arm wrapped gently around a younger version of Ash who was lying in her lap, also asleep. "This is really good, Brock."

I showed the picture to Ash who paled at the sight before him. "Don't you dare!" he yelled.

Just by the reaction on his face form this first picture, I was able to come up with an even better idea. "You know, I'm sure I could have Arcanine go get a nice baby picture for us."

"You wouldn't dare," Ash sneered. I think we were slowly getting to him.

"Try me," I challenged him. "They're in the dresser in the guest room." Arcanine disappeared and Ash freaked out again.

"If you talk to us, Ash, we may reconsider," Brock told him. For someone who seemed very caring, Brock could be evil when he wanted to.

"I told you I'm not talking to you two."

At this, Brock shook his head in disappointment at Ash. "You've left me with no choice Ash." Standing up, Brock walked over and grabbed Ash's backpack before returning to where he was before.

"What are you doing with my backpack? Put that back!"

"Not until you admit you're in love with Misty and agree to talk to her."

"I'm not in love with Misty!" he yelled.

"Well, I have a feeling your backpack will say otherwise," Brock stated as he unzipped Ash's backpack and dumped its contents all over the forest floor. Now that was something I would never have the guts to do. At first Brock rummaged through some basic supplies such as a rope, Ash's Pokedex, rubber gloves, some clothes and various other things. Buried underneath this pile, Brock pulled out three items: a picture, a handkerchief and stack of unopened letters.

"Well, well, well, Ash. What do you got there, Brock?" I asked, trying to egg Ash on.

"Well, for starters, I have a rather badly taken picture of Misty. It looks like it was ripped out of a photo album. Know anything about that, Ash?" Brock asked, showing him the picture of Misty.

"Give me the picture, Brock!" Ash demanded.

"No way, Ash. What else did you find, Brock?"

Next Brock picked up the handkerchief and held it up for Ash and I to see. "And here we have the beautiful handkerchief Misty gave Ash before she left. The bidding starts at $2. Do I hear $2?"

"$10!" I shouted, raising my hand.

"I hear $10! Do we have any other bids?"

"Stop!" Ash yelled. We were definitely finally getting to him.

"Fine," Brock sighed before returning to the pile. "And finally we have the unopened letters Misty sent Ash."

"Let's read them," I suggested.

"No!" Ash shouted. "Put them back! Don't you dare read them."

"Why not, Ash? You had three years to read them. You're times up. It's not like you were going to read them anyway." And with that, Brock opened the first out of five letters.

_Dear Ash,_

_ How are things? I hope that you had a nice trip back home and that you are off to a safe start wherever you are. Things here at the gym are going rather smoothly. I've finally started to rebuild the reputation of the gym after my sisters destroyed it. The other day this kid came in and he reminded of you. He had the same confidence and thought he was unbeatable. I quickly put him in his place, though. Other than that, things are rather busy here with all the challengers. I saw a kid with a Pichu the other day. It was really cute. Anyways, I really miss you and can't wait until you come back home again. In the meantime, stay safe and I hope to hear from you soon. _

_Your friend, _

_Misty _

_P.S. Tell Pikachu I say hello. _

"Aww. How very touching. She missed you Ashy boy."

"Read one more letter and I'll steal Misty's mallet and beat you two with it," he threatened.

"Not unless we get to her first," I told him. This just made him even angrier. "Just skip to the last letter, Brock. Ash can read the rest later."

"Okay. Let's see what damage you did by then Ash," Brock suggested before finding the last letter Misty had sent.

_Dear Ash, _

_ I get the message. I know you were home last week. I wish you would have told me or at least stopped by. This is my last letter and I won't try to call you anymore. I don't know why you're doing this, but I assume you have your reasons. If you change your mind, I'm always here. I hope you are doing well. Just know that I miss you and I hope you at least miss me a little, too. _

_Misty_

"Stop Brock," Ash said, but this time he wasn't yelling.

"Oh, hey Arcanine. Find a good picture?" I asked my pokemon having noticed its return. Walking up to me, Arcanine dropped a picture into my hand. Just as I had requested, it was a baby picture of Ash when he was about two years old. He had obviously been eating spaghetti, as that was evident by the red sauce that covered his face. Although the picture wasn't as embarrassing as I had hoped, it would work for now. I handed over the picture to Brock who examined it and nodded in approval before showing the picture to Ash.

"My mom would," he sighed, realizing there was nothing he could do to stop us. Moving on, we placed the picture in our pile of things we planned to send to Misty that already consisted of Ash's hat and Brock's picture.

"Arcanine, can you please take these things to Misty?" I asked my pokemon. "Make sure she knows there from her little, loser boyfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ash yelled from his spot by the tree. "And I'm not a loser!"

"Ash, Ash, Ash. What are we going to do with you? You need to stop denying your love for Red. I'm sure being in love with her isn't the worst thing that's happened to you." He just glared at me.

While we waited for Arcanine to return, Brock and I tried to come up with more ways to get Ash to talk. We were almost there. "You know?" Brock said, breaking the silence. "I think we should write a letter to Misty and tell her about that one time I caught Ash reading her diary. What do you think Ash?" Oo. Sounded like a good story to me.

"NO!" he shouted, this time also trying to break free. "FINE! YOU WIN! I'LL TALK TO HER! JUST DON'T TELL HER THAT! SHE'LL KILL ME!" Finally, we had gotten what we came for.

"I knew you would see it our way, Ash," I told him as I went to untie him. "Once Arcanine comes back, I'll have him take you to where Misty is. If we find out you didn't talk to her, though, you're going to be in for a world of pain, Ashy boy."

Once he was free, he tried to attack, but stopped when he saw Brock out of the corner of his eye. "Attack Gary or I and the handkerchief gets it," he threatened, holding a pair of scissors as if he was going to cut it into pieces. That worked instantly, causing Ash to sit back down and pout while he waited.

When Arcanine returned, I asked him for one last favor: To take Ash to where Misty was hiding. Just in case he tried to run away again, we tied his hands and attached him to Arcanine via the rope we had used previously.

"Oh wait, Arcanine! I forgot something!" I yelled before he disappeared again. Taking a post-it-note, I wrote Misty a little note before I stuck it on Ash's forehead so he couldn't read it and she wouldn't miss it. When I was done, Arcanine and Ash vanished.

"What did you write?" Brock asked when Ash was gone.

"Ha ha. Just a special note for Red."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'd say we did a good job," Brock commented while he packed up his things.

"Me, too. Although, I was kind of hoping that we could have roughed him up a bit."

"Yeah. Great idea. And then when Misty hunts us down and beat us up, what were you going to do?"

"Oh. Good point. I forgot about that."

"I just hope he talks to her."

"Me, too."


	20. You and Me Ashy, We're Stuck Like Glue

It had been some time since I had heard from Gary and I was starting to worry a little bit about the condition of Ash. To preoccupy my time, I had taken a swim and did a little training with my Pokemon. I wasn't sure how long this "talking to Ash" was going to take. When I was beginning to really worry, Arcanine appeared in front of me with Ash's hat that had some stuff in it. What had they done to him? Was this some kind of cruel joke? Was this going to be one of those murder mysteries where all they could find was his hat. I think I might have been getting ahead of myself. Taking the hat from Arcanine, I found that there were two pictures inside. One was of Ash and I that I don't remember be taken. I was wondering who could have taken it, when it hit me: Brock. The second picture was one of Ash as a baby. As cute as this picture was, it got me wondering again what exactly they were doing to Ash and what they were getting at by sending me the hat.

I turned to Arcanine to ask him if he knew, but he was gone, leaving me all alone again. Now what was I supposed to do? Again, all I could do was sit and wait. So, I just sat by the river again, and dipped my feet in. A few more minutes went by without an appearance by Arcanine, making me wonder if anybody was ever going to show up.

"AHHHHHH!" I heard someone yell, breaking the forest silence. I turned around to see Arcanine running towards me with an attached Ash dragging behind him. "STOP ARCANINIE!"

Finally, to the relief of Ash, Arcanine stopped, sending Ash face first into the ground. "Ash!" I yelled, rushing over to him. "Are you okay?" This might have been a dumb question, but I asked anyway.

He looked up at me, allowing me to get a good look at his face for the first time. He had scratches all over his arm and face, but none the less, he was thankfully still in one piece. Although, I was rather confused at the Post-It Note that was stuck to his forehead.

"What do you think, Mist?" he asked before letting his face fall back into the ground.

"Sorry," I apologized. "Here, let me help you." I picked up his hands and placed them on my knee so I could untie the rope. After I had unattached Ash from Arcanine, the Pokemon vanished again.

"Thanks," he said, as he sat up and dusted the dirt from off his clothes.

"You're welcome. But what's with the Post-It Note on your forehead?" I asked, taking it off so we could read it.

"Gary stuck it on there before his stupid Arcanine teleported here," he grumbled.

"You mean the pokemon that just dragged you across the ground?"

"Shut up," he snapped, not happy I was pointing out the one flaw in his statement. "Just tell me what it says."

As I read the note I had to smile and laugh at the familiar words Gary had written. "Here look," I offered, sticking the note between us so we both could see.

_Gary was here. Ash is a loser. :P_

"I hate Gary," Ash stated.

"Me, too." At least we could agree on something.

Beyond that, neither of us knew what to say to each other. I had no idea why he was here other than via Gary, but I knew they must have done something to get him here. "You got some nice scratches there, bud. Let's get them patched up."

"You don't have to do that, Misty."

"Too bad," I told him. I dug through my bag until I found some cotton balls and some medicine."

Making sure to be careful, I started with his arms. "Ow, Misty!" he cried. "That stings!"

"I'm sorry Ash. I'm being as careful as I can!" I explained, my temper rising a bit.

"Well be more careful," he demanded.

"I'm trying Ash!" I yelled back. Taking a few seconds, I let myself calm down a bit. "What happened to you anyway?"

"I fell out of a tree."

"What?"

"Don't ask." Hmm. I would ask Gary about that later. "So where are we?"

"We're in a forest by a river," I said.

"No duh, Mist. I'm not that dumb," he retorted. He looked around surveying the area around him trying to figure out where we were. After a few seconds, he finally figured it out. "This is where we met, isn't it? It's that river," he said quietly, me almost not catching what he said.

"You mean where you stole my bike? Yes." I would never let him forget about the bike. Who I would I be if I didn't?

"Yeah. That," he grumbled. "You got it back, though."

"I know." This time he didn't say anything, choosing to remain silent. After finishing his arms, I moved on to his face where he had a few scratches on his cheek. Unfortunately, this required me to get closer to his face than I wanted to be. Close enough that when he said my name, I could feel the hot air hit my face.

"I'm sorry," I heard him say.

"Huh?" I asked, backing up enough so I could see his entire face.

"I'm sorry I flipped out on you." He hung his head, refusing to look at me.

"It's okay, Ash," I told him, getting him to look at me again. "I'm sorry I lied to you about who I really was. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"I know," he told me. Relief washed over my face. At least he understood. "I just didn't want it to be true, you know? It would mean that everyone else knew but me, and that you. . .you would have heard and seen everything I was trying to hide from you." The fact that I knew about everything he tried to hide from me was what I think bothered him the most.

"Brock didn't know. Neither did May until she walked in on me talking to Gary. In fact, not even Gary knew until he stopped by your house when I was there. The only one that knew was Pikachu."

"Pikachu knew?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why did you think he jumped on me that first day? He could identify me by my scent. When Brock went to talk to you, he started yelling at me and threatening to expose my secret."

"How did you get him not to? He never told me anything."

"I bribed him with ketchup. I told him I would buy him unlimited amounts if he didn't tell you."

"So you did give him ketchup!"

"Ha ha. Yeah I did."

"I was wondering how he kept getting some. I could have sworn I had run out."

"I'm glad I could help you solve the mystery."

"Ha ha. Yeah. How about now you help me break the habit? No more ketchup, okay?" Ash said, smiling for the first time since he ran away.

"Deal," I agreed. "You have to pay me back for all the ketchup I bought, though. It's your pokemon."

"It was YOUR idea, Misty. In case you have forgotten. And anyway, you were gullible enough to fall into Pikachu's trap. So, I owe you nothing."

"Fine. You only owe me for the bike." Not saying a word, he responded with a face palm.

Either out of impulse or want, I grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him to the river where we both sat down, admiring the view. It was weird to think that the last time we had been here together was 8 years ago when we were both sure we would never see each other after that. Boy were we wrong. As I looked over at him, I noticed something looked different, but I couldn't pinpoint what that was exactly. It was when I saw something red out of the corner of my eye that I realized what it was. I quickly stood up, startling Ash who was sitting beside me.

"Where are you going, Misty?" he asked.

"To get this," I told him as I picked up his hat that I had set aside earlier. Taking out the photos, I walked back over to him and placed the hat back on his head. "There. That looks better."

"Thanks, Misty."

"You're welcome. By the way, you were an adorable baby," I added, handing him the picture of him when he was a kid.

"My mom thought so, too. I swear she has album after album of these baby photos. There's probably a photo for each day up until I left."

"Be nice, Ash. I'm sure she was just excited about having her first kid. You're her only one, too," I pointed out.

"I guess."

As I looked over his shoulder at the picture I had handed him, I thought of something that I had only wondered on occasion. "Hey, Ash?"

"Hmm?" He turned to look at me, our faces becoming dangerously close. I backed away a bit, not wanting to know what would come of that.

"How come your dad's not in any of the photos?" Not once had I ever heard Ash talk about his dad's whereabouts or even who he was. I assumed he had a dad at one point, but it was one of those things nobody ever talked about.

"He left before I was born. I've never met him."

Well, that was the end of that conversation. On to a new conversation topic. "Hey, Ash?"

"Hmm?" he replied, answering the same way he did before.

"Those things you said to Maddie... the if you could say anything to Misty stuff?"

"Yeah?" he asked, preparing for my next question. I had a feeling he knew what I was going ask even before I asked it

"Did you mean it?" I asked him, unconsciously holding my breath while I waited for an answer

He didn't look at me for a while, staring at the river flowing in front of us instead. Although in reality it was probably only about 30 seconds, it felt like I had been waiting forever until he finally turned to look at me, his dark, brown eyes meeting my bluish-green ones. "Yeah I did. I...yeah."

I didn't know weather to jump for joy, hug him, or run around. Instead, I pulled him up from the ground, linked elbows with him, and danced around in a circle similar to when Ash caught his first Pokemon.

"Misty! What are you doing?" he asked as he struggled to keep up with me.

"I'm celebrating!" I exclaimed, continuing to dance around.

"Wait a minute," he said, stopping. "That means that..."

"Took you long enough," I teased, lightly hitting the side of his head, which only caused him to have this stupid grin on his face. Worried he was somehow frozen, I waved my hand up and down in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Ash. Yoohoo!"

Before I could hit his head again to knock him out of whatever trance he was currently in, he picked me up and spun me around like he normally did to Pikachu. What the heck?

"What are you doing?" I shouted. "Put me down!"

"Celebrating," he chuckled, spinning me around one more time before he gently set me back on the ground, not letting go. "I'm just happy."

"Oh. I guess I can be a bit dense myself."

"Mmhmm," he nodded before leaning in, closing the gap between us. It was simple and sweet kiss, but it felt like more than that to me. It was the kiss I had been wishing for. In return, he grinned at me with his lopsided grin that I had grown to adore over the years.

When we broke apart, we gathered up the photos and put our shoes back on before walking away from the river that had once again brought us together.

"So, which way to Pallet?" I asked him.

"I don't know. I'm following you," he told me.

"You mean you don't know how to get to Pallet? Don't you live there?"

"For like, one month of the year, tops," he explained, trying to defend himself.

"ASH KETCHUM!" I yelled in frustration, scaring a few Pidgey out of a nearby tree.

"ASH KETCHUM!" he yelled back, imitating me. "YOU DENSE IDIOT! YOU GOT US LOST AGAIN!" Wow. He knew me pretty well. He just smirked at me, satisfied with the results of his little act.

Just I was about to run over and strangle him, Arcanine appeared again, probably to see if he could take us back yet.

"Come on Ash! It's Arcanine! He can get us out of here!" I shouted, grabbing his arm and running over to the big fire pokemon, dragging him behind me.

"Misty, wait. I've got an idea," he said, coming to a halt.

"Huh?" I asked, confused. He walked over and whispered his plan into my ear, my face breaking out into a smile. "I like it."

"Thanks, Arcanine, but you can go back. We're going to go to Pallet and come back tomorrow." After Ash told Arcanine the new plan, he scribbled a few things on a piece of paper and then passed it between us, taking turns to scribble a few things. After that, he rolled it up and gave it to Arcanine to hold in his mouth.

"Make sure Gary gets this," I instructed him. With one more confused look, Arcanine left, allowing Ash and I to finally release the laughter we had been holding in. "Now which way to Pallet?"

"I told you," he repeated. "I don't know."

"ASH!" I yelled, jumping on his back.

"Ouff" he grunted, unprepared for the heavier load on his back. "Jeez, Misty. Lay of the ice cream."

"I happen to be a normal weight, thank you very much. Maybe you need to lay off the cheeseburgers and work out more."

"Yeah, maybe on the Snorlax scale." Regardless, he agreed to give me a piggy back ride anyway. "You know, Misty? If you really wanted to be like Pikachu, you could have just asked."

"Why do you say that? I don't want to be like Pikachu."

"Yes you do. You're jealous because I give him more attention and carry him around," Ash taunted me.

"Are not!" I yelled back.

"Are, too!"

"Are not!"

"Are, too!"

"I missed this," I told him.

"Me, too, runt," he agreed, never missing a beat in our argument. "But Maddie was MUCH nicer," he added before he dropped me and took off running. Shouting insults and threats at him, I chased him down the forest path, while he just laughed and continued on the path he thought would lead us to Pallet. I was hot on his trail, though, sprinting after him, while our laughter and childlike bickering towered over the once peaceful forest.

_Meanwhile... _

"What've you got there, Arcanine?" I asked. "Where are Ash and Misty? Are they still not talking to each other?" Opening his mouth, Arcanine dropped the rolled up paper in my hand. Unrolling the paper, my face flushed a bright red, burning in anger.

_Ash was here. Gary is a loser. :P_

_Thanks for the pokemon. ;)_

_-Red and her little, loser boyfriend. _

Despite my thoughts that this was all they had written, I was proven wrong when I flipped over the page to see more notes, each one, with the exception of Misty's acclaimed victory,_  
><em>having been crossed out by one of them_.  
><em>

_I'm not a loser! _

_Yes you are! _

_Misty, no I'm not!_

_Ha ha! Misty always gets the last laugh!__  
><em>

_P.S. We'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry. _

"Well at least our plan worked," Brock commented, having been reading the paper from over my shoulder. "Although, I must say, leave it to Ash and Misty to find a way to argue on a piece of paper."

"I hate those two."

TA DA! ALL DONE! :D :D :D :D YAY! As much as I enjoyed writing this story, I am sad to say that it has finally come to an end. Thank your for all your support and review_s, _as well as hanging in there with me. Now it's time for me to ace some tests. I hope you enjoyed the story, and if you would like, I've thought about possibly doing an epilogue if there is enough interest. _  
><em>


	21. The Ups and Downs of Life: Epilogue

_Epilogue_

"What happened after that, Mommy? Did you make if back to Pallet Town in time? Did Daddy win?" My six-year old daughter asked me, just beginning the phase when she wanted to know everything.

"Yes. Your daddy and I were able to make it back to Pallet Town without getting lost. Afterwards, we had Professor Oak have a pokemon teleport us to the league. And I think you know the answer to that last question."

As I had told my daughter, Ash and I had managed to make it safely to Pallet Town without getting too lost. Professor Oak almost had a heart attack when he saw us on his front door, baffled as to why Ash was here and not at the league where he was supposed to be. Eager to get Ash back to where he needed to be, Professor Oak had a pokemon from the lab teleport us to the hotel. When we had arrived, everyone was freaking out since we had been gone for so long.

"I know," she replied, beaming with pride. The story of how Ash had won the league, with mommy cheering him on with her multiple signs and constant "advice", was something she would never forget. Primarily because it was one of the stories Ash told her almost every week. "Was Uncle Gary still mad at you and daddy?"

Over the years, Ash and Gary had turned their rivalry into as much of a friendship the two could tolerate. Since Gary had taken over after Professor Oak had retired, we tended to see a lot of him, causing our daughter to start calling him Uncle Gary much to Ash's dismay. As much as Ash hated to admit it, though, Gary was great with our daughter, easily gaining her liking by letting her play with the baby pokemon whenever she wanted.

"Yeah. But mommy gave him back his Arcanine just like she promised." Although, a little passed the deadline I had promised, I did give Gary back Arcanine's pokeball. However, he was still mad about the note we had sent him, claiming that he would have been better off not helping us in the first place.

"Then what happened?" she asked. "Did you beat up Uncle Brock and Gary for making daddy fall out of the tree?" It was nearly impossible for me to not laugh at that. Everyone liked to remind her about her mommy's notorious temper and how they all hoped she did not get that trait.

"After the league, Grandma had a big party at her house to celebrate Daddy's victory. After that, Daddy, Mommy and Uncle Brock, continued traveling all throughout the different regions. Oh! And Mommy did get back at Uncle Brock and Gary for hurting Daddy."

During the party, I had gotten revenge on Gary and Brock for having knocked Ash out of the tree despite Gary's attempts to explain that he had warned me and that neither of them could be held responsible for what happened. After the party in Pallet, Ash had asked me to continue traveling with him. As much as I had wanted to, I knew I couldn't because I had to take care of the gym. To my surprise, though, Daisy intervened and told me that it was about time she took over the gym. As much as I appreciated it, I think she just wanted to prove to Tracey that she knew more about pokemon battling than they used attacks to fight. With good luck wishes from Ms. Ketchum and reminders not to get into too much trouble, me, Ash, and Brock, who had stalked up on Motrin, took off.

We spent three years traveling in Sinnoh, Unova, and even the orange islands where we returned to Shamuti Island to visit Melody. When we had told Melody about Ash and I, she of course was not at all surprised. "I thought he was a boy and your friend? Not your boyfriend," Melody had commented in her typical sarcastic and sassy way, throwing the words I once said to her back in my face.

"And then Daddy became Pokemon Master, right?" my daughter asked.

"Yes, sweetie. That's right. Daddy became the Pokemon Master." It took Ash eleven years to achieve his dream, but he finally did it when he defeated the previous Pokemon Master in a battle he shared with his daughter for many years. And to this day, almost nine years later, he remains undefeated.

"Then I was born!" she yelled, bouncing up and down on her bed. "And I got Growlie!"

A year after Ash and I got married, our daughter was born. With her arrival came chaos, as everyone wanted to meet the newest Ketchum. The first person to meet her was Ms. Ketchum who was overjoyed by the arrival of her first grandchild. Next, she was introduced to Brock who was unmarried at the time. Since the day she was born, Uncle Brock, as he was quickly named, took it upon himself to adopt our daughter as his own, spoiling her every chance he got. (I think he just liked the fact that she was the only girl who he could tell how cute and adorable she was without getting rejected.) He even got bragging rights as the one who gave her Growlie the stuffed Growlithe, her most cherished belonging. Since Ash was the Pokemon Master, we had to go to a lot of dinners where we couldn't bring her with us. In these situations, Brock would offer to babysit for us, taking her to his "bachelor pad" where he would spend their evenings together telling her stories about her parents.

When Brock announced his engagement to Suzie, our daughter refused to spend time with Brock, claiming that Suzie was stealing her uncle away from her. But, in the end, as all little kids are, when Brock made her the flower girl in his wedding and promised to continue spending time with her, she instantly forgave him.

"That's right, Sweetie," I replied. I glanced at the Pidgey clock on her nightstand, jumping up as I realized what time it was. "We have to go, dear. Go grab your coat and meet me downstairs." I rushed down the steps, grabbed my keys and coat, and then waited for my daughter at the garage door.

"Where are we going?" she asked as I strapped her into her car seat. "Are we going to see Uncle Brock?" she asked her eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Not today, Sweetie." With her all locked in, I pulled out of the driveway and started driving to Viridian City airport. When we got to the airport, I parked in the temporary parking and walked inside.

"Now where are we going, Mommy?" my daughter asked, her little face filled with puzzlement.

"You'll see," I told her as we walked towards the terminal.

Once at the terminal, we stood and waited behind security for the reason we had come. We had been a little early, so we had to wait a little longer than we needed to. "This is boring, Mommy," she told me. I understand how standing was probably not very exciting for her.

"We only have to wait a bit longer," I assured her.

We only had to wait five more minutes before what we had come for walked through the exit, my daughter's eyes growing big in shock and excitement. "DADDY!" she yelled as she ran toward Ash's waiting arms, his trusty Pikachu beside him.

"Hey there, you. I missed you," he told our daughter, giving her a big hug. I smiled at the scene before me, seeing my family reunited once again. Ash had been at a conference for the past week and had called me yesterday to say he was going to be home earlier than expected. Hoping to keep it a surprise I had neglected to tell our daughter.

"Me, too, Daddy," she told him as Ash picked her up and carried her over to me, Pikachu following close behind. Although he had been nervous about becoming a father, Ash had turned out to be an amazing dad who enjoyed every minute of fatherhood. Even with his hectic work schedule and being out of town a lot, he had always made time for his daughter. Granted, most of the time he spent with her involved preening her to be the next champion, she enjoyed every minute of it. Ash was her hero and she had told us multiple times that she wanted to grow up to be just like him. As cute as it was, the world did not need another Ash Ketchum, nor did his ego need inflating.

"Hey, Mist, " he greeted me, kissing me on the cheek.

"Yuck," our daughter commented from Ash's arms.

"You think this is yucky?" Ash asked her, kissing her on the cheek. Despite her cries for him to stop, he kissed her on the cheek again, tickling her stomach, which only caused her to giggle uncontrollably.

"Pikachu-Ride!" she yelled after she had stopped giggling. Pikachu-Ride was something Ash had invented when she was really little, involving him carrying her on his shoulders just like he had carried Pikachu. And of course, whenever a Pikachu-Ride was demanded, Ash had to pull out his old, beat up Pokemon league hat for her to wear.

"So how have you two been?" Ash asked as we drove home.

"We've been good. Brock came over a few days ago for their weekly outings," I told him.

"What time is everyone getting there tonight?" Ask asked, referring to the birthday party we were having later tonight for our daughter.

"6. Your mom is going to be here at 5, though. She insisted I let her help prepare."

"Okay," Ash replied. He turned around to check on our daughter who was sitting quietly in the backseat, Pikachu curled up in her lap. "You excited for your birthday? I got you a really cool gift." He hadn't mentioned anything about a really cool gift to me. She nodded eagerly, excited about the really cool gift.

As Ash and I chatted more about his conference and the upcoming party, out conversation was suddenly interrupted by singing from the backseat.

"I love Daddy, yes I do. He's my hero, and he's the best. He's better than all the rest." Oh God. Apparently my daughter was turning into a Daddy's Girl. Ash just looked at me and grinned, listing to her made up song as his ego jumped to an unhealthy height.

"What about Mommy?" Ash asked. "Do you have a song for her?"

"Mmmhmm," she nodded before she started singing again. "I love Mommy, yes I do. She tells me stories all the time. Uncle Gary calls her Red! And when she gets really mad, her face turns into a tomato and she beats people up like a Primeape.!" A big smile on her face, our daughter watched as her daddy broke out into hysterical laughter in the front seat.

"I really like that one," Ash told her just to tick me off. "You should sing it for everyone tonight." He grinned at me, hoping to get a reaction.

"I have one for Uncle Brock, too!" she announced.

"Okay, let's here it," Ash said, turning around to watch her.

"Uncle Brock! He's the best! He gave me Growlie who I love the best! He tells me stories about how Mommy and Daddy gave him headaches! He shows me pictures of them, too! He cooks the best food!"

"You really love Uncle Brock, don't you?" Ash asked, a little jealousy evident. I assure you Ash, no matter what she loved you more.

"Yes. But I love you more," she told him, putting his worries at rest. "You don't get mad at me."

"Brock got mad at you?" Ash asked. Brock never yelled at her. Ever.

"Kind of. He always got mad when I colored in his magazines. He said that I wasn't allowed to touch them because they were for adults only." Ash's eyes grew huge in shock as he realized just exactly what his daughter had been looking at.

Thankfully we were home because at that moment in time, I slammed on the brakes sending everyone flying forward. "He said what?" I asked, my temper rising.

"Calm down, Mist," Ash told me. "She doesn't know what they were. I bet she didn't even notice." I can't believe Brock had let her near something like that.

"He said they for adults only. I tried to tell him that I was only helping him. They weren't wearing any clothes so I told him I had to color clothes for them because mommy always told me that it was wrong to not wear clothes. He always took it away, though, saying he would color clothes for them himself." OH MY GOD. I was ready to explode.

"Misty..." Ash said, hesitantly, a little afraid.

"Do you have magazines like that, Daddy?" she asked innocently.

"WHAT?" Ash looked at his daughter baffled at her question. I glared at him waiting for him to finally look at me. When he finally did, he winced a bit in fear. "No. Daddy doesn't have magazines like that," he finally told her. He kept glancing at me, preparing for an attack.

"I'm going to kill Brock"

"NO MOMMY! DON'T KILL UNCLE BROCK!" she wailed from the backseat.

"Don't worry, Sweetie. Mommy's not going to kill Uncle Brock. RIGHT, Mommy?" Ash assured our daughter, annunciating the right, to make sure I got the message.

"Right," I told her. But I whispered to Ash, "He is so dead. And you better not have any magazines like that!"

"I know," Ash sighed. There was nothing he could do to stop me. "And I don't. I'm not THAT dumb, Misty. "

"Good. Because things would not turn out well for you if you did."

After everything had died down from our recent discovery, Ash told me to take our daughter inside so that he and Pikachu could get the gift out without her noticing. After we were giving the okay by Ash, I brought our daughter outside where Ash covered her eyes and led her to the gift.

"You did not," I stated, spotting what he had gotten her.

"YAY!" she cheered running toward the brand new, shiny bicycle. "I love it, Daddy! It's the best birthday gift ever!"

"Ash Ketchum," I sighed, shaking my head at my husband. I should have seen this one coming. "So she does nothing and you get her a bike, but I beg you for one for twenty years and I STILL haven't gotten one?"

"Don't be jealous, Mist. She is the nicer one after all," he teased, bringing me in for a small kiss.

"DADDY! STOP THAT! IT'S YUCKY!" Our daughter yelled.

"Go ride your bike," he said, waving her away before he kissed me again. "Daddy really missed Mommy, too."

"Okay," we heard her sigh before she returned to her bike. She suddenly turned around to face Pikachu, though. "Pikachu, " she said, wagging her finger as if she was lecturing the little pokemon. "You better not destroy my bike." Poor Pikachu just sighed, the reputation coming back to haunt him again.

"This is all your fault," Ash accused me. He was smiling though, so I knew he was kidding.

"Daddy!"

"Yes?"

"I'm leaving! I'll be back soon," she told him as she placed her Growlie and an unsuspecting Pikachu in the basket attached to the bike.

"Okay. Be careful, Maddie," he told her, completely unaware of what he had said. He was currently to busy staring at me.

"Okay," she said before taking off, Ash's Pokemon League hat facing backwards on her head. She really was a Mini Ash.

"Ash!" I yelled at him snapping him out of his trance. "Do you know what you just said?"

"Huh?" he asked, the answer clearly being no.

"She doesn't know how to ride a bike, yet!" I yelled at him.

Realizing his terrible mistake, he turned around and bolted after her. "MADDIE, WAIT!" he called before she got to far. This was not going to end well.

_There ya go, folks! :) I hope you enjoyed the epilogue and if I ever get around to writing a sequel, this will be the starting point. Hopefully, you were able to catch the name of Ash and Misty's daughter. I thought it would fun to write the epilogue as if Misty was telling her daughter the story of how she got her name without actually having Misty_ _say, "That's how you got your name." The rest is just an idea of what their life is like now. I know I've said this a billion times, but thank you so much for the reviews and taking the time to read my story. It really means a lot and it makes me smile to see all the positive feedback I've been getting. I must say, though, this has probably been my most favorite story I've ever written. Please fill free to add more reviews, give suggestions or just tell me what parts you enjoyed the most. _

_On a completely different note, I just want to put it out there that Melody is by far my favorite non main character. I just love her spunk and sarcasm. Now that you've read this useless fact, have a great day!_


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